The Connector Canvassing Quiz
What kind of canvasser are you?
By Bruce Watson
With massive Democratic canvassing heading into fall, tens of thousands will be knocking on doors in swing states. You may be one of them, but what kind of canvasser are you?
Are you the Affable Canvasser who makes instant friends at every door? The Persuasive Canvasser who can talk a bird out of a tree and a Republican out of a rut? The Dogged Canvasser? The Brave, the Bold, the Bodacious?
As veterans of the front porch trenches, Connector editors offer this quiz to help you hit the streets and make a difference.
1. Your preferred method of knocking on doors is:
A. Knock and, if no one answers, tap on the window and peer inside. Whoa, huge TV!
B. Knock and if no one answers, pound on the door and shout “Yooo-hooo, anybody ho-mmme?”
C. Knock and if no one answers, take a seat and wait, admiring the wind chimes
D. None of the above
ANSWER: D. The preferred method is to knock, knock again, look for a doorbell, find none, knock a third time and then leave a door hanger.
2. Midway through your opening script, the person at the door says, “Ummm. . . You’re not from around here, are you?” You say:
A. “Actually, no. They’re busing thousands of us ‘outside agitators’ from Massachusetts.”
B. “Nope. But I believe we, the people live in one nation, under God, indivisible. . .”
C. “No, but it is just soooo lovely here. Now as I was saying. . .”
D. “No, and I can’t wait to get the hell out of this godforsaken backwater.”
ANSWER: C. As the American Canvasser, you know how to engage voters wherever you are.
3. After listening a minute, the person at the door begins chanting “USA! USA!” then shouts, “Make America Great Again!” What do you say?
A. “Define ‘great.’”
B. “Former president Donald J. Trump is a convicted felon and pathological liar whose re-election would usher in a brutal fascist dictatorship.”
C. “Interesting. Can we talk about health care?”
D. “Thank you very much for your time.”
ANSWER: D. Unless you are a Persuasive Canvasser (C) trained in talking Republicans out of ruts, just be polite and, as they say in many swing states, skeedaddle.
4. Which of the following are among the latest canvassing apps?
A. Wassup-Voter! and Knock Knock 2.0
B. Reach and MiniVan
C. Trudger 3.0 and DemocracyTHEN!
D. DoorCrash and JustVote4Chrissake!
ANSWER: B. The rest are in Beta and should be ready for 2028.
5. Despite following the map on your canvassing app, you find yourself on a dark cul-de-sac with razor wire, snarling Dobermans, and flags reading “TRUMP 2024 — SO YOU WON’T HAVE TO VOTE AGAIN!” You:
A. Use Google Maps to find your way back to the fact-based world.
B. Call Uber and wait behind the nearest, largest SUV
C. Knock on one last door to test your Persuasive Canvasser skills
D. Walk briskly, looking over your shoulder, until you find a yard sign that reads: “In this house, we believe. . .”
ANSWER: A or B or D. Because you are a Dedicated Canvasser who wants to canvass another day.
6. What is “deep canvassing?”
A. Inviting yourself into each home for dinner, dessert, and Netflix
B. Canvassing basements, fallout shelters, and the occasional MAGA cave
C. Connecting with voters by sharing family photos, astrological signs, and medical records
D. Engaging voters through active listening, and creating a safe space for more meaningful conversations
ANSWER: D. As a Deep Canvasser, you are ready to spend 15-20 minutes per door in making meaningful connections. Get good training first.
7. After listening politely, the person at the door says, “A friend told me Kamala Harris is a Berkeley-born childless latte-sipping elite feminist Marxist who hates America.” Your response?
A. “Let’s take these one at a time. First, she was born in Oakland. . .”
B. “Perhaps. But can we talk about health care?”
C. “A friend told you? With friends like that, who needs truth?”
D. “Thanks for your time. I’m due back in the fact-based world.”
ANSWER: B. As the Unflappable Canvasser, you do not let right-wing cliches keep you from making a connection.
8. You have been instructed to ask specific questions about voting behavior. But when you ask “How likely are you to vote in November?” the person at the door says, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” You:
A. List the person as “Unlikely Voter.”
B. List the person as “A Real Piece of Work.”
C. Smile, explain that this is just for research purposes, then ask again.
D. List the person as “The Reason We Have Warning Labels.”
ANSWER: C. As the Outreach Canvasser, your job is solely to identify likely voters for later contact. But hey, this is “a real piece of work,” right?
9. Exhausted at the end of a long day, your see that your canvassing app asks for ten more doors before calling it quits. What do you do?
A. Delete the app.
B. Hit all ten doors but just hand out campaign lit and say, “Read this! I’m outta here!”
C. Hit all ten doors and be extra patient and empathetic, especially when talking about health care.
D. Stand at the end of the block and wave at ten passing cars.
ANSWER: C, of course. Hey, aren’t you the one who says, “Democracy is not a spectator sport”?
10. Studies (Gerber and Green) show that face-to-face canvassing is most effective in:
A. Getting reluctant voters to vote
B. Persuading undecideds to vote for your candidate
C. Registering voters
D. Turning you from a cynic into a citizen
E. All of the above
ANSWER: E. And if someone tells you otherwise, skeedaddle.
SCORE:
8-10 — You are a seasoned canvasser and should be on the streets, not wasting your time with quizzes.
5-7 — You need a little more training but don’t we all?
3-4 — Send postcards and leave the canvassing to the pros
0-2 — Call us on November 6.
This quiz was a delight to take.
Good thing I like postcarding. I think I flunked this quiz.
LOVE THIS CREATIVITY ... and love canvassing!