Hey there folks,
Last month at VFE, in a continuing effort to get better at figuring out how to get voters to open up to us about their concerns with marriage for gay and lesbian couples, we had our first voter persuasion phone banks. We’re learning about the differences between doing persuasion on the phone versus at the door with voters. And we’re learning how to coach each other as we listen to someone having a conversation next to us, so we can make sure we’re doing our best to learn what works and what doesn’t.
We also had two canvasses in the San Fernando Valley where 58 volunteers hit the Valley heat and talked to 250 voters. We are continuing to bring up the opposition’s messages around children by talking about and showing Yes on 8′s most effective ad – Princes – at the door to simulate the main message voters hear during a campaign. And we’re gaining insight on how to respond to their concerns.
Click here to see a conversation from our July 19th advanced canvass with a supporter who had concerns about the opposition’s message about kids.
On July 31st, we had our first canvass with two tracks –one for beginners, which was run by our super volunteer leaders, and one for experienced canvassers. Good news; it was a success! We’ll be continuing to have two tracks in the future to accomodate both the growing number of experienced canvassers and new volunteers.
East LA Canvass
Advanced Voter Canvass – August 14
Coming up this month, we’ve got three great opportunities to talk to voters about marriage. On August 14th, we’ll have an Advanced Canvass in East LA for anyone who’s talked to voters with us before. This time, in addition to focusing on learning how to move undecided and unsupportive voters, we will also focus on how to best utilize conversations with our supporters, including exploring if they have concerns with the opposition’s messages around children. As we meet more and more people who are with us, we’ve got to learn from them and engage them in the fight for LGBT equality.
Voter Persuasion Phone Bank – August 24
On August 24th, we’ll have our 3rd persuasion phone bank. Talking to voters on the phone gives us the chance to reach people who are in tougher areas to canvass, and, it’s a great opportunity to have these important conversations together in the same room!
General Voter Canvass in East LA - August 28
About to canvass
For our canvass on August 28th, we’re partnering with Proyecto Orgullo, the social justice project of Bienestar. We’ll be in East LA at their main office on Beverly. Join a big group of us as we work together to learn how to gain support and gain votes. We need a lot more people out there with us, so come, and bring your friends. Also, we’re look for more people who speak Spanish so we don’t miss out on talking to spanish speaking voters about marriage equality.
