Leaflet Every Doorstep

From NC -- a new strategy for building community, winning votes

One characteristic of today’s grassroots activist is taking personal initiative. 

When Judy Kincaid saw the media muddling the clear differences between Republicans and Democrats, she decided to do something about it. In 2023, an election off-year, she launched Leaflet Every Doorstep.  The project was designed to strengthen the Democratic brand, provide clear messaging, and build a community of local volunteers engaged year-round. 

With an initial group leafleting four Durham precincts, this project was wildly successful. Volunteers loved it and those receiving leaflets appreciated both the information and the connections to the Democratic party and to their neighbors.  More precincts are excited to participate this election year. 

Judy Kincaid appeared on the March 29, 2024 Friday Power Lunch video podcast to talk about her Leaflet Every Doorstep program and how it operates. 

DURHAM, NC — The process was simple, the leaflets informative, the issues clear.  In each of four local precincts in Durham, volunteers would drop 5-6 leaflets between April and October.  

The issues addressed – gun violence, reproductive freedom, public education, and voting rights – made the difference between Republicans and Democrats crystal clear. Below the question “Which Party Gets Your Vote?” leaflets presented bullet points contrasting Republicans and Democrats on major issues. Two leaflets also explained the importance of voting, even in an off-year election.

The result?  At a cost of 15 cents apiece, some 25,000 leaflets hit doorsteps, every doorstep.  Leaflet Every Doorstep informed voters, tightened communities, and promoted greater voter turnout in November 2023.  And once leaflet recipients themselves got involved – distributing still more leaflets – they met their neighbors and sowed the seeds of citizenship.

“We are growing a volunteer base that now knows a piece of the precinct well and has started to engage with people there,” one volunteer said.  “There is a sense of community and immediacy in this project that is meaningful, and people respond to it. People want to know that they aren't alone in their concerns, that others are looking out for their interests too.  And I think this project fosters that.”

Leafleting is nothing new to politics but leafleting EVERY door is new, as is returning to the same doors with more leaflets, more issues, more inspiration.  And by leafleting every doorstep, instead of just Democrats, volunteers did not have to consult lists, apps, or other voter databases.  Once neighbors got involved, much of the leafleting was done by trusted friends.

But every door?  Five or six leaflets?  Overkill, perhaps?  Venerable Democrat Walt Whitman explained why Leafleting Every Doorstep works.  “The public is a thick-skinned beast,” Whitman said way back when, “and you have to keep whacking away on its hide to let it know you’re there.”

Whitman aside, the leaflets themselves deserve much of the credit.  Each was carefully designed by a team of seven volunteers, each receiving online training about current “best practices” in the political landscape.  Thus each leaflet included not just statements but QR codes easily accessible for further info.  Using a QR code, anyone wanting to join the campaign could click Contact Us on the project website.  Anyone who did not want further leaflets – Durham is 10 percent Republican, 36 percent Unaffiliated – could opt out of further drops.  And all leaflets were available in Spanish.

It all sounds basic enough, but there were snafus.  Hot weather.  Vacationing volunteers.  Leafleting routes that had to be drawn and re-drawn.  Tackling these problems, organizers sent many e-mails keeping volunteers informed of when the next drop would be made, where to pick up the leaflets, and where to report back on the drops.  Thanks to organization, each drop was completed within ten days.

Had leaflets been the only contact, recycling bins might well have been full.  But volunteers used leaflets as conversation starters, fostering community and bridging divides.  Leaflets, one volunteer said, “didn't come from the post office, or some candidate that doesn't know who you are.  When I leaflet and actually meet people, I always engage (I like talking to people) - and by far and away, the response is always a 'thanks for doing this.’”

Leaflet Every Doorstep also drew attention beyond Durham.  The campaign has been discussed and endorsed by national Democratic leaders, including David Pepper, Robert Creamer, and Simon Rosenberg.  It was also mentioned in the Daily Kos (and now the Grassroots Connector.)  But wait till this year!

Between now and November, several other Durham precincts will be leafleting every door.  “We need to keep this energy going,” one volunteer said.  “So glad to be able to meet our neighbors.

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