Knock Knock: Tips for door-to-door canvassing

Knock Knock: Tips for door-to-door canvassing

Tons of studies prove the benefits of door-to-door canvassing, yet it is still not widely used in European political campaigns. Let’s see why the Americans do it despite the fact that it is a highly resource-intensive alternative — and while we are there, let’s try to avoid the most typical traps.

Why is it worth it?

1. Door-to-door canvassing is the best technique to increase voter share

Have you heard the term “Get Out the Vote”? If yes, have you ever wondered where it originated? Well, now you will: it is the title of one of the most influential campaigning books written by political scientists Alan Gerber and Donald Green nearly two decades ago. The authors analysed different campaigning techniques and found that door-to-door campaigning was the most effective tool among all the others that they tried.