Canvasser

THE ORGANIZATION:

Make the Road States (MRstates) is the national home for the second-generation Make the Road family of organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada, this in addition to New York, that serves to uplift the voices of working-class, immigrants, women, LGBTQIA people, and people of color across the Make the Roads umbrella. From an operational spectrum it serves as the Finance and Human Resources Compliance Officers for the umbrella at large.

Make the Road Action New Jersey (MRA-NJ), a 501(c)(4) organization is committed to building power for justice in immigrant and low-income working-class communities of color. MRA operates in five states - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. We work to create social change, connect voters to the candidates and issues that are most important to them, and work hands-on in a fast-paced environment to create long-term impact in the communities that need it most.

THE ROLE:

The Canvasser will go door-to-door canvassers to increase voter engagement and turnout. Canvassers will do this by leaving door hangers, making contact at safe distance with voters, and logging all necessary information for tracking purposes. This is a temporary position and will be supervised by the Legislative and Political Action Manager. The position starts on Wednesday, September 30th and will run until Election Day on Tuesday, November 3rd. The work schedule will be Wednesday to Saturday through October 24th and then Saturday, October 31st through Tuesday, November 3rd to accommodate for the final GOTV weekend. Priority will be given to candidates that can fulfill the canvassing schedule. Shifts are typically 1 to 9 p.m.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Canvassers are expected to develop and foster a relationship with voters directly, understand their self-motivations, and encourage increased civic participation.
• Canvassers will be assigned door lists in pairs but will be expected to knock doors individually, often across the street from each other or dividing a neighborhood.
• Canvassers are expected to participate actively in training ahead of every door-knocking shift and participate in a debrief following every door-knocking shift. Training will include voter contact tactics, program strategy and safety.
• During debrief, canvassers are expected to communicate with the Legislative and Political Action Manager to share any field observations and ensure strong voter turnout.
• Canvassers will report daily to the Legislative and Political Action Manager on quantitative and qualitative metrics, ensuring timely and accurate data entry and reporting.
• Canvassers are expected to knock at least 80-120 doors every shift. Every shift totals 6 hours with a 30-minute paid lunch taken at the halfway through shift.
• Canvassers are expected to knock 2,400 doors over the course of the election season.
• In the event that conditions do not allow for door-knocking, canvassers will be expected to use a phone dialer, provided by MRA-NJ, to make calls to voters.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Eligible to work in the United States
• Proficiency – fluency preferred – in both English and Spanish
• Must have a smartphone that can be used for work purposes
• Ability to walk/stand for long periods of time
• An effective and frequent communicator
• Must be able to work evenings and weekends
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn database programs
• Must be able to clearly articulate the mission and political context for MRA-NJ’s work
• Must be able to coordinate transportation to and from launch site in Perth Amboy

English and Spanish