Advance Poll GOTV Checklist

Confirm official voting information

Use the election authority’s current information for dates, hours, locations, identification, registration, and voting methods. Do not rely on an old election graphic or a volunteer’s memory.

Prepare a short, approved voting-information reference for callers and canvassers. They should know where to find an answer rather than guessing.

Prepare the advance-vote universe

Identify supporters and other approved voters who may use advance voting, have requested a ride, need information, or have not confirmed a plan. Remove do-not-contact, moved, invalid, and already-voted records.

Size the universe to the available hours and volunteers. Advance voting is a rehearsal only if the campaign can complete and review the work.

Run the full operating cycle

• Current door and phone lists.
• Zone or shift ownership.
• Short advance-vote script and response codes.
• Ride request, dispatch, and completion process.
• Voted update import or manual entry.
• Paper list return and reconciliation.
• Fixed command reporting times.
• Volunteer check-in, food, breaks, and safety.

Debrief with evidence

After each day, compare the starting universe, voters confirmed as voted, remaining priority records, open rides, completed calls or routes, and unresolved data issues. Ask what delayed the operation and whether the information was usable.

Assign corrections with owners and deadlines. “Improve the ride desk” is not enough. “Add a return-trip status and recruit two accessible-vehicle backups before Friday” is.

Carry the lessons into Election Day

Update zone size, scripts, training, volunteer roles, list formats, driver capacity, and backup plans. Preserve what worked rather than redesigning the entire system.

The Election Day plan should be simpler because advance voting removed voters and answered operational questions.

A practical example

During the first advance-vote day, the campaign learns that callers cannot see which voters requested rides and the ride desk closes requests too early. That evening, the team adds a shared status, assigns a dispatcher for each shift, and separates drop-off from completed return. The correction is tested the next day.

Working checklist

• Verify official dates, hours, locations, identification, and registration information.
• Create the current advance-vote target universe.
• Prepare lists, scripts, outcomes, zones, and shift leads.
• Staff phone, door, ride, data, and command functions.
• Set reporting and list-return times.
• Update already-voted records and rebuild the remaining universe.
• Debrief each day and assign specific corrections.
• Update the Election Day plan from real results.

Common mistakes

• Treating advance voting as only a reminder campaign.
• Using unverified voting information.
• Running a smaller operation with completely different tools and roles.
• Leaving already-voted supporters on later lists.
• Holding a debrief without assigning corrections.

Sources and further reading

• Elections Canada — Ways to Vote
• National Democratic Institute — Voter Contact

Election law, privacy, calling rules, voting methods, and campaign-finance requirements vary by jurisdiction and can change. Verify current requirements with the applicable election authority before acting.