Taking Texting to the Bank
For a last-minute campaign boost
By Dan Doernberg
Charlottesville, VA is a blue college town where Dems get 80-85 percent of the votes year-after-year. Yet once you’re outside the city, yard signs are a sea of MAGA red. But Democrats are out there. How to reach them? Text banking.
Last spring, the Charlottesville Dems partnered with Rural GroundGame (RGG), whose sophisticated rural outreach projects heavily involve text banking. Our volunteers were initially skeptical.
First, they didn’t like getting political texts (who does?) And because our volunteers were mostly 70-75, they didn’t do a lot of texting. They felt intimidated by the idea. Finally, they were concerned about hostile reactions. None of these concerns, however, kept them from trying, and being pleasantly surprised.
The surprises began with very positive text responses. Annette Owen still remembers a woman responding to a text on abortion rights: “I’m a Mom with three daughters,” the woman texted back. “It’s important to get this done!” The text recipient clearly welcomed the connection. Annette, 64, a one-finger typist, has thoroughly enjoyed text banking. She could text with a group of volunteers or from home while folding laundry.
As for technique, even folks like Annette who rarely text, quickly got the hang of it with a 30-minute training. The software was easy to use. And because many of the same volunteers came together every week, a great camaraderie emerged as people shared texts that were particularly funny, interesting or challenging.
Hostile responses? There were very few. A text isn’t as disruptive as a ringing phone or a doorbell. Those uninterested can just ignore a text or type STOP. As volunteer Andi Goodman noted, a hostile text response feels less jarring than a hostile canvassing encounter or phone call. With texts you can coolly think about how you want to respond. You’re not “on the spot.”
An Example of How Text Banking Works
On Thursday afternoons Cville volunteers followed up with Rural GroundGame text messages to an estimated 300 people. Texts sent at 4:45 p.m. on Thursdays raised issues or invited people to attend an event. Here’s a sample text initiated by Rural GroundGame:
When Charlottesville Dems volunteer text bankers came in at 5:00 p.m., a few texts were waiting for them. More responses came in over the course of an hour.
On this screenshot of a textbank outreach, the conversation window is at top. The recipient’s reply is the white conversation rectangle. The text banker’s reply is the blue rectangle below it. The “Responses” tab shows preset responses (depending on whether that recipient is a Strong Dem, Lean Dem, etc.) that the text banker can choose with a click, or write a custom reply.
Note that text recipients never see volunteers’ names or phone numbers, which the software hides.
Once a text conversation starts it can go anywhere. Mark Hall, another volunteer, offered to answer his text recipients’ questions. He often did quick research to provide information on where to send a donation, where to register to vote, etc.
Good Attitude + a Bit of Information
Want to try textbanking for your group? Click here. But before you start texting, Rural GroundGame’s Abby Garber, who’s been text banking since she was 11, offers these tips for success:
Smile When You Dial: There’s no dialing involved, but this phone bank phrase still applies. Enthusiasm is critical. The people you’re texting with will pick up on your tone and mood!
Success Requires Empathy: Your texts are often a potential voter’s first contact with a campaign, and they’ll often share quite a bit about their lives and struggles. Each voter has unique experiences. Let them talk/text until you really understand where they’re coming from.
Convey Respect: The voter you’re texting might sound combative or express opposition to Democratic candidates or positions. Once you’ve landed on issues a recipient cares about, share perspectives with respect. As Antonia Scatton notes, “Our goal is NOT to prove them wrong, but to engage them in a conversation about the topic from our point of view, or at the very least, plant a seed that could lead to a change of heart later on.”
Local is Best: Text banking lets people from anywhere parachute in to help, but if your local area has important races, focus on those.
Be Prepared: The campaign should provide background about candidates and issues, but spend a few minutes on relevant websites so you understand key talking points. Most states have websites that provide a district synopsis (e.g. The Virginia Public Access Project in Virginia.)
Keep it Professional: Texting can be done anytime from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. After sending texts, volunteers have to remember to check for responses. It’s bad form to leave a contact hanging for more than a couple hours.
Finish Strong with Text Banking!
None of us wants to repeat 2016, when we lost and kicked ourselves for not doing more. Texting is still an option for anyone with time and inclination to help. This is one more way to bring home Democratic victories! Check out Mobilize (choose TYPE under filters and select textbanking for upcoming opportunities).
Dan Doernberg does a bit of writing, a bit of volunteer media relations and IT work, and a bit of publishing from his home in Charlottesville, VA.
Dan, what a helpful and friendly article. Thanks!
There must be a better way. I am literally spammed with political texts morning til night. I’m especially annoyed on the rare occasion that I click on a text for information that turns out to be a solicitation for donations. Just texting “Stop” doesn’t solve the problem when you have to do it a dozen plus times a day. I am not text adverse. It is my primary form of communication. I’m just tired of being harassed.