The Art of Door Knocking

Sound effort: Door knocking Unidentified woman: Hi there… Stephanie Bernholz Leuschner: I’m Stephanie, I’m with TAAC. I was wondering if I could talk to [fade] Sound effort: Ring door tone Unidentified woman: Hi! Stephanie: Hi there! How are you? I’m Stephanie, I’m one of [fade} Sound effect: Door knocking, door opening. Mary Ellen Flannery: Hi! I’m Mary Ellen Flannery and I’m with NEA Today — and, if you haven’t already guessed, this is an audio story about union members knocking on doors and talking to voters about union-recommended candidates. You just heard Stephanie Bernholz Leuschner doing exactly that. Stephanie is a special educator in Maryland and a member of the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County, known around here as TAAC. This spring, Steph’s union asked her to talk with other TAAC members about a really supportive school board member who is running for re-election. And Steph said SURE! I’ll do that! And she let me come along. Stephanie: I know the board of ed elections are going to be a hard fight. I wanted to put the work in to make sure our board is pro-educator. It’s kind of an interesting thought that they would not be… Sound effort: Door knocking. Stephanie: I’m Stephanie. I’m a member of TAAC. I was wondering if I could speak to…[fade] Mary Ellen: Some people call this door knocking. Others canvassing. The experts call it voter outreach — and they agree it really does work. Studies show that door-to-door, face-to-face canvassing is way more effective than postcards or emails at convincing voters to actually vote. In a close race, it can make the difference between electing a candidate who supports public schools—and one who doesn’t. Stephanie: ….board of education and we just want to make sure you know she’s endorsed by us… Sound effort: Phone ring tone. Clay Hale: Hello? Mary Ellen: Hi Clay! It’s Mary Ellen from NEA. Clay: Hi! How’s it going? Mary Ellen: Going well! How are you? Clay: Doing well. Mary Ellen: Clay Hale is a high school social studies teacher in San Jose, California, who recently won a seat on his local community college board. I called him because Clay knows a lot about door knocking. Mary Ellen: Tell me how you feel about door knocking! Clay: It’s a great way to know your neighbors. One asset that we have as teachers is that your neighbors love to hear from the local teacher in your community. Mary Ellen: So that’s the why on door knocking. It gets people to the polls and helps inform them about pro-public school candidates. Now let’s talk about the HOW. Stephanie and Clay have a lot of advice. First, go in groups or pairs, like Stephanie and me.Second, keep your conversations outside — and stand far enough back from the door so that people can open it safely. Third, and this is key — dress for comfort. Stephanie: To canvas, I just wore my jeans, my TAAC shirt, so people would have no doubts about who I am, and then some sensible walking shoes. Mary Ellen: Sunscreen? Stephanie: Yeah, I got some sunscreen. Mary Ellen: Number four, use the tools your union gives you. Stephanie and I got a script from her union and we used their phone app to keep track of who we talked to. And finally, make it clear you’re an educator. Clay: I wore my local union t-shirt. I had some various school shirts I wore every now and then… lanyards that identified me as a teacher. Mary Ellen: When people know you’re an educator, they’re more inclined to be respectful. In fact, everybody Stephanie and I met was very nice. Even the dogs were friendly! Sound effect: Dog howling. Clay: I could probably count on one hand all the negative encounters I had. But I think it really goes back to like when teachers knock on doors, there’s a respect that teachers have in a community and I feel that dissuades any negative encounters that you might have. ME: Both Stephanie and Clay say educators already have the skills it takes to knock on doors. Stephanie: Being willing is [laugh] really the biggest special skill you have, just being willing to talk to people. Sound effort: Door knock. Door knock. [Fade]