Check out the DemLabs site with over 110 solutions and Solution Guides like the one below for free and inexpensive apps.
DemLabs is a non-profit that provides democratic groups with advice and training on affordable, innovative apps. DemLabs doesn’t develop nor sell software to make sure that its recommendations are unbiased by financial considerations.
These canvassing solutions are ideal for groups with little cash and tech savvy. The apps are used by millions of customers and come from large software firms not dependent on the election cycle.
Train canvassers
Use the free Quizlet app to train your canvassers on the issues, handle objections and report their discussions. Share the digital flash card based training, see who completed the training and how well they understood the material. You can create different courses and even update the training material at any time.
Choose where to canvas
Choose the best areas to canvas based on the residents’ income, ethnicity and other criteria with the free Statistical Atlas or Community Atlas.
Find the addresses of the people to canvas in the area that you pick with esri and then plan the best walking routes for your canvassers with ArcGIS.
Free canvassing app
Use the free Glide app to enable your canvassers to collect the information you need. You get all the canvassing results immediately in a Google Sheet.
The app can be used to canvas any list of addresses. Canvassers get assignments of who to contact along with walking routes to improve their productivity.
Find potential voters
Use ArcGIS tools to map areas with people that match the demographics you’re looking for such as age, income, education, ethnicity and marital status.
You can optionally combine these maps with records from the voter file to find areas to canvas with potentially unregistered voters.
Sreamline canvassing reports
Make it easy for canvassers to report whom they met and their notes while it is fresh in their mind. They call a phone number and dictate their notes. A voice chatbot records, and transcribes what they said and sends it as an email to their manager. Such voice chatbots are very affordable and use the Twilio platform.
Canvass without internet access
Use the free KoboToolBox app to canvass in areas without internet access such as tribal lands and remote rural areas. You define the information for canvassers to collect.
The app geo-tags locations if there is no address, time of the meeting and even take a photo or video with the canvasser’s report.
Takeaway
It pays to innovate when your opponent is better funded. Make sure your campaign is using the best available technology – especially when it is free!
Deepak
Co-Founder, DemLabs
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