Number of Highly Effective Deep Canvass Calls Made by People’s Action, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and Progress North Exceed Biden’s Margin of Victory
Contact: Johanna Kichton, 202.660.0605, press@peoplesaction.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.—People’s Action and its two Wisconsin member organizations, Citizen Action of Wisconsin and Progress North, today announced updated voter canvassing numbers, showing that the organizations’ deep canvass program played a pivotal role in Biden’s win in the battleground state. Wisconsin Election Commission Chairwoman Ana Jacobs told The New York Times that nearly all of the ballots have been counted, and Joe Biden has won Wisconsin by more than 20,000 votes–meaning the deep canvass program played a pivotal role in the Biden win.
Canvassers with People’s Action, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and Progress North had more than 26,783 deep canvass phone conversations with conflicted voters in Wisconsin. These calls are highly effective: of the people who complete these conversations with canvassers, 48 percent move towards Biden and 21 percent completely switch to Biden from voting for Trump or being undecided.
“Organizers and volunteers from the multiracial working class who did the work are responsible for the win in Wisconsin,” People’s Action Director of Movement Politics Ryan Greenwood said. “People’s Action, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and Progress North got it done in this battleground state.”
“No matter where you live in Wisconsin, or what’s in your wallet, most of us want the same things, and today, that is a leader who will do what’s best for all us, and not just the wealthy few,” Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s Associate Director Angelique Rogers said.
“To succeed in this moment, we had to cut through the sense of inevitability our opposition has built that the way things are now reflects how they will always be. We seized the opportunity to focus public attention on creating a country where everyone is safe and free, with a care system and economy that works for all of us,” Progress North Director Shawnu Ksicinski said.
Overall, People’s Action, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and Progress North made 2.7 million attempts to reach voters in the battleground state, including 380,923 phone attempts and 2.3 million attempts by text.
People’s Action and Local Voices also launched an ad campaign in rural battleground counties. The ad featured the story of lifetime Wisconsin resident and cash crop farmer Craig Myhre, and aired over TV, radio, and internet. By airing the ad in areas that were also being deep canvassed, the organizations created a one-of-kind 360 degree voter engagement strategy.
Deep canvass phone calls are candid conversations between canvassers and voters in which participants reflect on the experiences that shape what’s at stake for them. These conversations are critical to not only defeating Trump but also to building bridges among a divided America. People’s Action recently released new results from a deep canvass experiment it conducted showing that the method is about 102 times more effective at moving individual voters than the typical presidential persuasion program.
About People’s Action
People’s Action is a national network of 37 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations united in fighting for justice. We operate the largest progressive rural organizing project in the country. People’s Action and its member organizations are coordinating one of the biggest distributed organizing programs in rural areas this election season.
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