The biggest challenge with voter identification script is getting people to stay on the call. The data you receive from your party is not up-to-date, and you need to have meaningful conversations with constituents to understand where they stand.
If you ask for too much, your contacts will hang up on your volunteers; too less, you don’t have the data you need for a winning campaign.
Pages-long introductions and irrelevant information will only result in potential supporters tuning you out. Worry not; this article gives you a ready-to-use voter identification script that covers all possible directions your conversation will take.
Voter identification script: Example 1
P1: Hi! I’m {volunteer_name} and I’m calling on behalf of {party_name}. Am I speaking with {contact_name}?
*Depending on their availability, tag them as not home, moved, or unreachable*
*If they refuse to talk to you, tag them as refused*
*If it is {contact_name}, go to P2*
P2: Hi, {contact_name}! I hope you are doing well. I’ll take a few minutes of your time to understand your stance on the upcoming elections.
*If they agree, move to Q1; otherwise, tag them as refused*
Q1: I’d like to understand the issues that are important to you. Which of these issues are you the most concerned about?
- [Issue 1]
- [Issue 2]
- [Issue 3]
- [Issue 4]
*Record the response*
*Depending on their response, ask them questions to understand where they stand. For instance, if their response is [Issue 1], proceed to Q2 keeping a focus on [Issue 1].*
| Pro tip: Have answers ready for your constituents’ concerns and policy recommendations of your candidate. |
Q2: How concerned are you about the <explain the issue>, and what, in your opinion, can solve [Issue 1]?
*Note their response, go to Q3*
Q3: In the previous {election_type}, which party did you vote for?
*Record the party code, go to Q4*
Q4: The {election_type} is {no_of_days} away. Has your support changed since your last vote?
*If they support your party, go to Q5*
*If they support other parties, mark them as DNC and go to P5*
*If undecided, move them to the nurturing list and go to P6*
Q5: That’s good to know, {contact_name}. We’ll need every vote to win this election. Would you like to donate {donation_amount} to solve [The issue they are concerned about]?
*If YES, tag them as donor, go to Q6*
*If NO, go to Q7*
Q6: Thank you, {contact_name}. I’ll send you the link to the donation page right away. It was great talking to you. We’ll keep in touch with updates on [The issue they are concerned about].
Q7: No worries. Would you like to volunteer instead?
*If YES, tag them as volunteer and go to Q9*
*If NO, go to Q8*
Q8: No worries, I understand volunteering can need you to spend a few hours a week. Would you be interested in displaying a yard sign?
*If YES, go to P3*
*If NO, go to P4*
Q9: Great, how does {no_of_hours} each week sound?
*If YES, record the response and go to Q10*
*If NO, go to Q11*
Q10: What kind of activities are you interested in?
- Direct mailing
- Emailing and texting
- Door-to-door canvassing
- Phone banking
- Poll watching
- Admin
- Others
*Record the response, go to P3*
Q11: Alright, no worries, please tell me what works best for you, and we’ll try to make that work.
*Record the response, go to P3 if they agree; P4 if they do not*
P3: Awesome! I’ll send you a text with all the details you need. It was great talking to you, {contact_name}.
P4: No worries, thank you for your time, {contact_name}. Please spread the word around and let me know if anyone in your network is interested to contribute in any way. I’ll text you my contact details. Have a good one!
P5: No worries, thank you for your time, {contact_name}.
P6: I understand it may take some time to make such an important decision. After all, who you vote for plays a huge role in the country’s future. Please feel free to reach out to me when you make a decision. I’ll send you my contact details. Talk to you soon, {contact_name}. Have a good one!
*Depending on the response of your contacts, tag them as one of the following:
1- Strong supporter
2- Leaning supporter
3- Undecided
4- Leaning opposer
5- Strong opposer
Voter identification script: Example 2
Hi! I’m {volunteer_name} and I’m calling on behalf of {party_name}. Am I speaking with {contact_name}?
*Depending on their availability, tag them as not home, moved, or unreachable*
*If they refuse to talk to you, tag them as refused*
*If it is {contact_name}, proceed*
Hi, {contact_name}! I hope you are doing well. I’ll take a few minutes of your time to understand your stance on the upcoming elections.
*If they agree, proceed; otherwise, tag them as refused*
I’d like to understand the issues that are important to you. Which of these issues are you the most concerned about?
- [Issue 1]
- [Issue 2]
- [Issue 3]
- [Issue 4]
*Record the response*
*Depending on their response, ask them questions to understand where they stand. For instance, if their response is [Issue 1], proceed, focusing on [Issue 1].*
How concerned are you about the <explain the issue> and what, in your opinion, can solve [Issue 1]?
*Note their response, proceed*
In the previous {election_type}, which party did you vote for?
*Record the party code, proceed*
The {election_type} is {no_of_days} away. Has your support changed since your last vote?
*If they support your party, ask them if they would like to donate, volunteer, or display a yard sign. Depending on their response, thank them for their time and share the necessary details via a follow-up text.*
*If they support other parties, mark as DNC and thank them for their time*
*If undecided, move them to the nurturing list and thank them for their time*
| Pro tip: Make sure your call center software allows you to send texts from the calling interface. This will help you share the information your contacts need right after the call when they are highly engaged with you. |
*Depending on the response of your contacts, tag them as one of the following:
1- Strong supporter
2- Leaning supporter
3- Undecided
4- Leaning opposer
5- Strong opposer
| Pro tip: Your follow-up campaigns will highly depend on your contacts’ answers to the voter identification calls. Everyone that said ‘YES’ to your first question will only need encouragement and help to vote on election day. However, the ones that were ‘UNDECIDED’ need a few more persuasive calls before you can turn them into a supporter. |
Important reminders:
- Try to have volunteers that speak more than one language and give your contact the option to choose the language they want to speak in.
- Tweak the lingo in your script depending on the age group, locality, and ethnicity you’re reaching out to.
Pair this interactive script with the tool that best accommodates it
Branching Scripts on CallHub is the most ideal tool to accommodate the kind of interactive voter identification script you see above. Branching Scripts will display the relevant question or answer following your contact’s responses.
This directs them to the exact response at each step of the conversation instead of scrolling through pages-long scripts. These dynamic scripts make the conversation smoother and create a positive experience for your supporters.
Learn more about Branching Scripts.
Featured image: Photo by Anna Shvets
