How to Follow Up After Political Canvassing

Close the shift before counting the results

First confirm that every volunteer has checked in and every paper list, device, key, or piece of equipment has returned. Digital syncing should be verified rather than assumed. The shift lead should know which routes were completed and where unfinished routes stopped.

This is also a safety step. The campaign should not begin packing up while a volunteer is still unaccounted for.

Move results into the source of truth

Enter paper outcomes and confirm digital records as soon as practical. Keep the original list version or audit information required to understand what happened. Do not merge several volunteers’ notes into a new spreadsheet that never returns to the main voter record.

Review unusual patterns, such as every voter in a household receiving the same result, a route with no not-home outcomes, or notes that do not match the selected code.

Turn requests into assigned work

• Sign requests: address, type, permission, delivery owner, and status.
• Volunteer interest: contact details, preferred role, follow-up owner, and next shift.
• Candidate callbacks: issue, urgency, contact method, preparation note, and completion status.
• Ride requests: voting date, mobility or accessibility information only as needed, dispatcher, driver, and confirmation.
• Data corrections: moved, deceased, wrong unit, bad phone, duplicate, or review required.

Review the route, not only the totals

The field lead should ask what slowed the team, where access failed, which questions came up, whether the route was the right size, and whether the script produced usable information. That review is more useful than congratulating the team on a raw door count.

Update building notes, route boundaries, training, or list filters before the next shift.

Follow up with volunteers

Thank volunteers promptly and tell them what happens next. Invite them to a specific future shift rather than sending only a general appreciation message. Record completed work and any role preference they discovered during the shift.

When feedback is needed, be specific and respectful. One useful correction is more likely to improve the next shift than a long critique.

A practical example

A canvass returns with six sign requests, two volunteer leads, one urgent callback, and several wrong unit numbers. Before the shift ends, the lead checks every list, assigns the callback, routes sign requests to delivery, and flags address corrections. The next morning, volunteers receive a thank-you and a direct invitation to the next weekend shift.

Working checklist

• Check in every volunteer, list, device, and route.
• Verify digital sync and enter paper results.
• Review unusual or inconsistent records.
• Assign every sign, volunteer, ride, and callback request.
• Flag address, phone, unit, duplicate, and moved-record corrections.
• Record unfinished route boundaries and access issues.
• Thank volunteers and offer a specific next shift.
• Update the next list or training using the debrief.

Common mistakes

• Celebrating the door count before reconciling the information.
• Leaving requests inside free-text notes with no owner.
• Waiting several days to enter paper results.
• Reprinting an unfinished route without recording the stopping point.
• Sending volunteers a generic thank-you with no next opportunity.

Sources and further reading

• National Democratic Institute — Voter Contact
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — Guidance for political parties on protecting personal information

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.