For a more nicely formatted version of the notes below, click here. 

BIG RULES:
1. We cannot tell people which party to vote for or who to vote for, we can only encourage them to vote. Do not even say the names of candidates.
2. Do not rush.  Have a conversation in your own words. A great opening is “This is [X] and I need to talk to you about something important….” Use the same voice and tone you might use when calling a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while.
3. End the call with “I’m a volunteer and this call is paid for by Look Ahead America. 202.810.5942.”
4. Always be calm, passionate, and patient. If you show just a little kindness, you may win them over.
5. Quantity is important. Always look for a good chance to close the call with the address of their voting location, the voting hours (6 AM to 7 PM), and the chance to vote early. Finally, ask if they have a plan for voting (“will you vote early, before work, or in the evening?”) This causes them to actually make a plan and they will be more likely to follow through.

OBJECTIVE:
1. Turn people out to vote in Virginia on Election Day, November 7 or to vote early at their county office.
2. Advise them of their polling place and hours (6 AM to 7 PM).<
3. If they are interested in voting early (including until 5 PM this Saturday), see if they meet one of the list of excuses on the list at https://lookaheadamerica.org/vote and then find their county office here: https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation/PublicContactLookup
3. If they ask for more information on voting, they can go to https://lookaheadamerica.org/vote or call 202.810.5942.

Talking Points

Here are some talking points around which to shape your own language. Try a few and see what works best. If you come up with something that works that isn’t on this list, please send an email to matt@lookaheadamerica.org.

– Issues this Election might help Decide: whether or not historic statues in parks are torn down, Islamic immigration and refugee resettlement, whether or not cities can declare themselves “sanctuaries” for illegal aliens.

– If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.

– People in government don’t care what matters to you if you don’t vote. When politicians look at polls to decide what actions to take, they look at polls of likely voters. If you start voting, you’ll start showing up in these polls and what matters to you will matter to the politicians.

– Billy Graham and other Christian leaders have said it’s a God-given responsibility (reference: https://billygraham.org/answer/im-sick-of-politicians-and-political-campaigns-and-ive-decided-im-not…) to participate.

– So many have served and died in our military for their right to vote. Ask if anyone in their family has served and then ask them to vote if for no other reason than to honor their sacrifice.

How to Get Started:

1. The system is pretty simple, not different from CallFire. Signup using the form below with your first initial and last name as the username.

2. After clicking the link in confirmation email, click ‘join campaign’ and enter your phone number

3. Click Join Campaign and your phone will ring. Do not hang your phone up between calls. When you wrap a call, hit “save” at the bottom (not “Save and exit” or it will hang up on you).

4. If you hit a voicemail system, his the drop voicemail button at the top of the screen

5. When you are done calling, click ‘leave campaign’ at the top of the screen

6. Their polling place is listed as ‘Company name’ on the left side of the screen.