Personal conversations are the best way to connect with voters and potential voters. Given COVID and the fact that some of us don’t live in battleground states/districts, the best way to have real conversations with voters now is with phone calls. Studies show this is half as effective as canvassing in person (alas!), but it’s twice as effective as sending postcards or texting. A well-targeted phone banking campaign can make a crucial difference in close elections.
Generally, about 10% of those we call will answer the phone. Calling voters is how campaigns update their voter lists, which enables the next round of calls to be better targeted. And the voters who don’t answer the phone this time will get moved to the top of the queue to be called next time.
Think of it like playing the outfield in baseball. You’re not involved in every play, but sometimes your actions could make all the difference. And the team is counting on you!
It varies among phone banks (and stages of a campaign) whether we leave voicemail messages or not. For example, if the goal is to identify supporters, rather than just give information, leaving a message doesn’t help. The important thing is: don’t leave messages unless indicated in the script. Just move on to your next call.
When you join a phone bank, you will see the call script for that day and that campaign. Call scripts vary from state to state, campaign to campaign, and sometimes week to week. This is because voting regulations vary from state to state, and goals change as we get closer to an election.
At some stages, the phone bank goals are primarily to identify supporters (and potential volunteers), undecided voters (who can be called by others with a “persuasion script”), or those opposed (who will not be called again).
We strongly recommend taking time to adapt the phone bank script so it feels like you. It’s important to follow the intent of the script you’re given, but you can personalize it. It might take you ten minutes, but it’s worth the effort.
The first 15 seconds of the script are especially important—both for you and for the person you’re calling. You should prepare yourself with what you’re going to say as soon as the person answers. And the first few sentences are when the person you’re calling decides whether to hang up or not. You might start like this:
“Hi, is ______ available? My name is _______, and I’m a volunteer with the _______ campaign. I’m NOT calling to ask for money or anything like that. I just have two questions for you…”
Start with some friendliness and energy. Here’s how to adapt a phone bank script.
Of course you won’t know the answer to every question! It’s a good idea to have a FEW talking points about the candidate, but don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” It’s better to admit you don’t know than to give incorrect information.
Remind them that you’re a volunteer. You can always text or email them the candidate’s website for more information. Ask what’s the best way to get the info to them. (Additional contact info is useful to the campaign! Write this in the “notes” section at the bottom of the script).
It’s common for voters to be called from out-of-district/state volunteers, and voters rarely ask where you are calling from. However, if they ask, be honest. Lead off by saying you’re calling because the campaign has asked for help to reach every voter in the district. And that the race is critical in this election. A volunteer recently suggested saying, “I’m calling to recruit local volunteers”!
When you sign up for a virtual phone bank, it will be hosted on a Zoom call--with phone bank captains to answer questions. There, you’ll have a brief training about the online system and the particulars for that day’s calls.
The phone bank captains will walk you through logging in to a Virtual Phone Bank (VPB) or similar app. Then, you’ll see a voter’s name, phone number, and the script that’s specific to that day and campaign. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see some additional demographic information about the voter.
The most important thing is to pick one and try it. If you’re new to phone banking, the best way to start is on a hosted phone bank, with volunteer captains who can answer questions as they come up.
Phone banks are hosted by different organizations with different software, scripts, and training systems. You can choose based on the days and times that you’re available, or by state, or by candidate. If you have a connection to a battleground state or battleground district, that’s a great place to start!
Yes! State legislatures make most of the laws about things like access to reproductive health services, gun violence prevention, health care, etc.--and are the next line of defense against conservative Supreme Court decisions. (We wrote this in 2020; now we’re living it.)
Once you’re comfortable with phone banking, many campaigns are glad to have you to make calls on your own time. We suggest joining a scheduled phone bank first, then ask the captains about this.
Note that in general, the best time to call voters is 4-8pm in the time zone you're calling to on Sundays through Thursdays.
Yes (if you’re using a manual dialer) --although there are some other options. There’s some evidence that calls from a local area code get more responses. You may want to get a number with a local area code for the place you're calling. Here are some things you can do:
• GoogleVoice (one free phone number per account for the area code of your choice).
• BurnerApp (phone numbers in the area code of your choice currently $4.99/month)
• Dial *67 before you call EACH phone number to block your number. (Note that many people program their phones to automatically reject unidentified callers.)
• On iPhone you can toggle OFF "show my caller ID"
More options are described in this article.