2012trainingmanual
1. Set your local voter registration goal.
The General Assembly of the Green Party of California agreed to a goal of registering 100,000 new Greens in 2012.
Below are suggested goals for your county. If you live in an area that is especially progressive, feel free to increase your goal.
2. Calculate the number of tabling hours you need to reach your goal.
A volunteer tabler can get 4 to 7 registrations per hour; pick a number in this range and make your initial calculations. In a few weeks, update all your calculations using your actual average number of registrants per hour.
3. Calculate the number of tabling shifts (one person) you need to reach your goal, then the number of tabling-teams (two people) you will need altogether.
A tabling shift comes out to about 2.5 hours of actual "asking time". It's best to send volunteers out in 2-person teams, so divide your single-person tabling shifts estimate by 2 to get the number of tabling- teams you will need.
4. Calculate the number of tabling-teams you need to average per weekend from now to the end of the year, to end up with your total needed tabling-team.
5. Calculate the number of volunteers you need for each weekend Your goal will be to sign up at least this many for each tabling weekend.
6. Calculate how many core volunteers you need.
Core volunteers are highly dedicated registration-getters who will go out often.
Figure you'll need 4 core volunteers for every 100 (single person) tabling shifts you need (or for every 50 tabling teams).
Here's the logic: Applying the 80/20 rule, you can figure that 80% of your tabling shifts will be covered by 20% of your volunteers. Figure, too, that a core volunteer will probably do a shift on two-thirds of the weekends you send people out. For every 100 shifts, 80 will be done by core volunteers. If you have 30 weekends, a core volunteer will work approximately 20 shifts. So you will need 4 core volunteers for every 100 shifts it will take to reach your goal. You can also figure that the remaining 20 shifts will probably be covered by about 15 volunteers who will do 1 or 2 shifts each.
7. Figure out your tabling schedule.
Start early on Saturdays, with a 10:00 a.m. orientation. Send people out to locations by 10:30. Tabling teams should arrive at headquarters between 2:30 and 3:00 for debriefing.
If your calculations require more than 5 tabling-teams per weekend, you may want to schedule an orientation for Sunday starting around 11:00.
If you find yourself needing more than 10 tabling-teams per weekend, you may want to schedule a second time-slot for Saturday; a 1:30 orientation would be good. But if your operation is getting that big, consider dividing the county up geographically and having someone else run a separate operation.
8. Get blank voter registration cards from the voter registrar's office at the county building. Sign them out under the name of the Green Party of your county.
9. Contact Marnie Glickman at the Green Party of California help identifying and communicating with potential Green Party volunteers in your area.
Marnie can be reached by email at marnie@cagreens.org or by phone at 415.259.7121.
She will help you create and distribute email invitations to Greens in your area. She will also give you lists of phone numbers for potential Green Party volunteers.
If you have computer skills, she may be able to train you to use our Green Party of CA online database to organize volunteers in your area online.
If you don’t have computer skills, don’t worry, she will help you organize your work using paper and email.
10. Select a date for your voter registration orientation and action.
11. Work with Marnie to write and send an email invitation at least two weeks beforehand.
12. Follow up your postcard with a phone call a few days later. Figure that perhaps 3% of your invitees will actually show up for the orientation.
13. Choose your tabling locations.
Major grocery stores, farmer’s markets and other high- traffic areas are prime spots.
Look in the yellow pages; call all the local supermarkets and get the names and addresses of their regional managers.
Send each regional manager a letter stating your intention to send trained volunteers to do voter registration at their markets (list the locations) on weekends. This is merely a courtesy; you have a constitutional right to register voters at these places.
Put a copy of the relevant letter in with the materials sent to each tabling location; if a store manager tries to chase your volunteers away, it's handy for your volunteers to be able to drop the boss's name.
14. Find and equip ironing boards.
How many tabling teams will you send out at once? Get this many ironing boards plus a couple extras.
Equip each ironing board with:
(a) At least 6 clipboards; rubberband 20 registration forms and some literature to each clipboard. (b) A coffee can (bolt it to the table) decorated to say "Donations to help build the Green Party". (c) A nice, big, easily-readable sign saying "Register to Vote - Green Party". Hang the sign from the front of the ironing board. (d) A bungie cord, or rocks, to hold down your literature. (e) 7 or 8 pens that work. (f) A volunteer sign-up sheet. Most volunteers will register (and be coded as volunteers on their registration forms); but some non-citizens, folks under 18, and an occasional felon who is not eligible to vote may wish to volunteer. They should sign up on this sheet.
The weekly cycle is the core of the systematic approach. Because it's a cycle, I could start anywhere; but I'd like to start with phonebanking, because it's the engine that keeps the cycle moving.
Phonebanking and reminder postcards
Call through the volunteers and ask people to sign up for the coming weekend's tabling shifts.
Note their response on you call sheet or directly in the Green Party of California online database.
(You may want to develop codes for wrong numbers, busy signals, etc.)
Anyone who commits to do a shift the coming weekend should be sent a reminder email that very night. The reminder email is particularly important for people who were unable to come out this coming weekend and signed up for some future date; if they've signed up really far in advance, put their contact information in a tickler file for mailing closer to the date. Their name and phone number should be listed on a sheet in a calendar notebook so that reminder calls can be made the day before people are expected.
Materials ready for next weekend Clear off all the clipboards used during the previous weekend. You will often find completed registration forms hidden among the blanks. Load clipboards and prepare literature, pens, etc. It's best to make self-contained packets, one per ironing board, with six clipboards, literature, pens, donation can, etc. Do this early in the week, so that you are not rushing at the last minute as volunteers arrive on Saturday morning.
Reminder calls
Make reminder calls the night before the person is expected for tabling. If you are uncomfortable calling a grown human being to remind them, you may want to make the call to give them additional information, if there is some. I often call to ask whether they've succeeded in recruiting a friend to come with them, so that I can estimate how many materials I need for the following day. The concept of bringing a friend should be mentioned during debriefings and phonebanking.
Orientation
Conduct an orientation on weekends to prepare volunteers for tabling. Split the orientation between two people for variety. Cover voter registration techniques and Green Party positions. Be informative and entertaining. Refreshments are a good thing to have.
Tabling Go out to high-traffic areas and ask as many people as possible to register Green. Ask them to volunteer, and ask them for a dollar.
Debriefing Have volunteers come back to headquarters after tabling. Refreshments should be available. Tally up registrations, volunteers recruited, and donations collected. It's important for volunteers to see how well other volunteers have done. Often a volunteer will come back with $5--because they didn't ask people for money--and another will come back with $35. The next weekend the person who raised only $5 before will raise considerably more, because they now know it's possible. Debriefing is a good time to find out who's good at tabling and who isn't, and to recruit people to take on responsibility for other tasks in the system. It's also a good opportunity to find out what people "on the street" have been asking about the Green Party, so that literature can be modified to address their questions and concerns.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of this debriefing and socializing time; it's essential in building a base of volunteers.
County Council meetings
I recommend that county council meetings should immediately follow your debriefing. This allows people who have been volunteering to become more involved at a policy level.
Data entry
Completed registration cards should go promptly to data entry, and the information necessary for making a mailing list and phone sheets should be entered into the database.
If you are interested in learning how to do data entry directly into the Green Party of California online database, contact Marnie Glickman at marnie@cagreens.org and 415.259.7121.
If you do not have the resources to enter every card, at the very least enter those with phone numbers. However, I strongly recommend entering every card for mailing list purposes. From time to time you should check the county list, to pick up names of people who have registered with the Green Party but mailed in their registration forms. Look into purchasing the registrar's database of Green Party members in electronic form. This is usually too costly. Delivering registration cards and picking up new ones
After registration cards have been used for data entry, they should be hand-delivered to the registrar's office. Blank registration cards can be picked up, as needed, at the same time. It's not a bad idea to have the same one or two people doing this task each week, so that they can develop a friendly relationship with folks at the registrar's office and perhaps get better service in the future. State law requires that the cards be turned in within three days of completion. While I do not find xeroxing to be environmentally sound, it may be necessary if data entry is going slowly. Check with your registrar's office to see how big a problem they believe late turn-ins to be. Since no election is coming up, they may not mind a slight delay. Currently no one is serving time in any California penal institution for late turn-in of a registration card, but every effort should be made to comply with the law.
I divide orientations into two parts. The first part deals with registration cards and techniques for maximizing the number of valid registrations. The second part deals with the Green Party's history and platform. If one person does both parts, volunteers will start tuning out the speaker's voice; so I have two people do the orientation, and if possible I have a man do one part and a woman do the other. This sample orientation covers only the first part--registration cards and techniques.
Before beginning, I give each volunteer a clipboard. Then I say something like this:
- * * * *
I'm going to be going over the registration form and some techniques; and after I talk, Jessica will talk a little bit about the Green Party's platform and history. And then we'll answer some questions before we all go out and register voters.
Has everyone here registered to vote with the Green Party? Then you already have a basic idea how to fill out the registration form. Fortunately it asks only questions that people know the answers to: Name, address, birthdate, occupation...
This registration card can be used to register any resident of California, from any county, but is good only for residents of California. If someone from another county fills out this card, our registrar will forward the card to their county. We are obligated to register anyone regardless of what party they choose to register with. However, if they indicate they are not interested in registering with the Green Party, simply hand them a registration card and send them on their merry way.
If they are registering with the Green Party, keep the registration card on the clipboard and fold it under to expose the next registration card. We will turn the cards in ourselves after we've copied the information we want from them. If a registrant wants a receipt, fill out the receipt at the bottom of their card and give it to them. Be sure that the number on the receipt matches the card they have filled out (sometimes people peel a receipt off the wrong card). Almost no one will ask for a receipt.
If you look at the registration cards, you will see boxes labeled 1 through 12. This is the 12-step program for registering with the Green Party. Only 2 of these boxes are labeled optional, so make sure that everything else is filled out by the registrant. The most common things people forget to fill out are their birthday, their occupation, and their state or country of origin. Make a special point of checking these to make sure they're filled in.
Let me go out of sequential order, and start by talking about Box 7. This is where people indicate their desire to join the Green Party. This is done by checking "Other" and writing the words "Green Party" on the line. Because this is so critical to us, I strongly recommend that when you hand someone a registration form, you ask them to start with Box 7 by checking "Other" and writing in "Green Party".
Many people--out of habit or because they think they're to indicate their PREVIOUS party in this space--check one of the parties above "Other". If they do, and their intention was to register Green, they must thoroughly cross out their mistake, and they must initial the change. Now let's go back to sequential order. Everyone must have an address in Box 2 that is not a post office box, and is an address where someone can actually live, so that the registrar can determine what districts the voter resides in. It also asks for the county they reside in. Most people aren't used to writing the name of the county, so make sure it's there. If someone is homeless, they can still register, but they must fill in Box 3 with the address of a shelter, or an intersection, or description of a place they stay.
Box 4 is where people can list a post office box, if that's where they receive their mail.
Alot of people think their birthdate is nobody's business, but if Box 5 is left blank, their registration will not be processed.
Box 6, birthplace, should be a simple abbreviation of a state or foreign country.
Box 8, for occupation, is not labeled optional--though most counties are not putting this in their databases--so make sure people fill in something, even just N/A.
You will notice that the phone number, Box 9, is optional; however, we want to make a point of asking everyone who registers with the Green Party to please put their phone number so that we can contact them in the future. For a registrant who wants to volunteer, a phone number is essential!
In some counties Box 10 is used to indicate a preference for voter materials in a foreign language, but most counties no longer use this box.
Box 11 is there so that the registrar can look up the person's previous registration and either remove it or modify it. If a person has moved, they should put the address of their previous registration. However, if the only information that is changing with this registration is their party affiliation, they can write the word "same" across the box and their previous party on the line labeled "political party".
Box 12 is for their signature and the date. The Secretary of State, in an effort to make the box for the signature more visible, has put a blue border around it. As a result, many people think it is a box "for official use only" and skip it. The signature is absolutely essential. Be sure it's there. Also make sure that the date is filled in.
Box 13 is there in the event that you register someone who is blind, has no hands, or for some reason needs you to actually fill the form out for them. You need to sign here only if you have filled out the form. It is not necessary for you to sign it just because you have answered their questions about the form.
You do not have to be a citizen or a registered voter to go out and register people. You don't even need to be an animate object, as cards are often placed in boxes at supermarkets and libraries.
Are there any questions about registration cards?
Now let's talk about techniques for getting people to register Green.
It's important to remember that we are out there performing a service. You aren't asking anyone a favor by offering them an opportunity to register with the Green Party. You can be proud and keep your spirits high--even though most people will walk right past you as though you don't exist. There is no need to feel insulted. And there is no need to chase people down. Some of these people, at another time, will decide to stop and check us out; in the meantime, we should respect their desire to be left alone.
However, we should ask EVERYONE, as they approach, "Will you register with the Green Party?" While this may get tedious, be assured that for the 2.5 hours or so you are asking people, 10 to 20 people will express gratitude and admiration for your being there and register with the Green Party. We want to ask everyone, because we want everyone to know the Green Party has arrived in California. Also, don't try to guess who will or won't register by their appearance. You will often be fooled.
Set your ironing board up in a visible place where most people will have to walk past it. You may be wondering why we use ironing boards instead of card tables. They are at a much better height for people to write on; they are less likely to block a sidewalk or an entrance because they are so narrow; they are lightweight and easily transported--and because many people are not used to seeing ironing boards out of their usual context, you are much less ignorable. I highly recommend ironing boards. I swear by them.
Put the ironing board against a wall. This makes it more stable and prevents you from standing behind it. If you stand behind an ironing board waiting for people to come to you, you may be lucky enough to register 4 or 5 people in your two and a half hour shift. But if you stand out in front of your ironing board, make eye contact with people as they approach, and say, "Hello. Will you register with the Green Party?", you should be able to get 10 to 20 people, and if we are to be successful, you need to do that.
As you ask them, physically offer up the clipboard to them. People almost by reflex will take something when you are handing it to them. If they aren't interested, they will have to actively avoid taking it.
Many people are afraid to ask for what they want. Instead of asking "Will you register with the Green Party?", they feel safer asking something like, "Are you registered to vote?" or "Have you heard of the Green Party?" This is a mistake. You are likely to get what you asked for. People will answer "yes" or "no", be satisfied that they have fulfilled their social contract with you, and go on about their business. If you want them to register with the Green Party, ask them to register with the Green Party.
When someone stops and takes the board, direct them to Box 7 and tell them to check other and write in "Green Party" first. This is the best way to make sure we get them to register with us.
Don't stand there and savor the moment as somebody fills in the form. This is the time to ask other people. When one person has stopped to fill out a form, the likelihood of others stopping increases greatly. They notice you more; you appear safer; and if someone else is doing it, maybe they should be, too.
When the person thinks they are done, they will physically offer the board back to you. Resist your reflex to take it! Look at the board first and make sure they have filled in Boxes 1 through 12. If they have missed something, and you need them to fill it in, it is infinitely easier to get them to do it while the board is still in their hands. If it is all filled in properly, take the board from them, thank them, and welcome them to the Green Party. I generally shake their hand.
Remember: Say hello. Ask for what you want. Physically offer them the clipboard. Ask them to start with Box 7. Check the board before you take it back from them. Thank them and welcome them to the Green Party.
You are not done with this person, because there are three things that we need today. One is registrations. The second is volunteers. Ask the person, "Is it ok if we contact you to see if you're interested in helping us reach our goal of 80,000 registered voters by the end of the year?" Make sure we have their phone number, and if they express an interest in volunteering, put a "V" in the upper right hand corner of their registration card after the red words saying "For U.S. citizens only". The "V" tells our data entry person to code them as a volunteer.
The third thing we need is money. There is a donation can on your ironing board. Don't be shy. I usually say something like, "We aren't interested in corporate contributions--or likely to get them. Could you please help out with a dollar? It would make a big difference." If you ask everyone who registers, and even some who don't, you are very likely to average 70 cents in contributions for every registration, and that's how we pay for these ironing boards and signs.
Remember, ask everyone. Don't be insulted by people who ignore you. Ask everyone who registers if they can volunteer, and ask them for a dollar.
Don't get into arguments. Do get into (short) conversations, because we want to know what people are thinking and wondering about the Green Party. We're a grassroots political party, and these contacts on the street are very important. Presumably, you like to talk about politics, or you wouldn't be here, so don't hesitate to get into conversations--provided they do not become overly extended and prevent you from serving other people who would like to register with the Green Party.
Most people won't ask questions. They have a general idea about what the Green Party is, and they either want to--or don't want to--join us. But let's talk a moment about those people who do ask questions. Generally I find that the number of questions is inversely proportional to the likelihood of their registering Green.
If you don't know the answer to a question, don't fake it. Refer them to the phone number on the flyer. They can call the office for information. If someone is really interested in talking, invite them to the next meeting. We do a lot of talking there.
Jessica will go over some things that you may be asked about the Green Party, but my experience is the number one question you get asked is not about the Green Party at all. The question is, "If I register with the Green Party, does this mean I can't vote in the Democratic primary?"
My answer generally is, "Yes, but that's not the only benefit you'll receive." But it's important to let them know that we need their registration with the Green Party until the end of the year. After January 1, 1992, they will have until May 7 of that year to switch their registration back to the Democrats in time to vote for San Nunn or Diane Feinstein. However, we hope they stay with us, because when we get 80,000 registrants, we too will have a primary.
One other point. Let them know that they should receive a card from the registrar, confirming their registration, in 6 to 8 weeks. The card is not likely to say "Green Party"; it is likely to say "NP" for non-partisan.
Be sure to come back for the debriefing. We want to count up your registration cards, count up the volunteers you recruited, and count up the money you collected. We also want to drink some coffee, eat some cookies, and chat about how the process was and any ideas you have to improve it. Also, I want to know whether or not you had fun out there--because it's supposed to be fun. And if you didn't have fun, I want to talk to you about how to have fun next time. Thanks!
