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Essay: Reaching Wisconsin voters with Operation Swing State

Vaseline October 29, 2024

Editor’s note: You can read the Roundtable’s guide on how to get involved in the elections here.

I volunteered to recruit registered voters in Wisconsin through the Democratic canvassing group Operation SwingState. When I signed up, I didn’t see any groups leaving from Evanston, so I chose a group leaving from Northbrook. We met at 10am on a sunny Sunday. The very informal briefing, which was held outside, started around 10:15 am. There was a carafe of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and some snacks.

This was my experience.

Various volunteers

Other volunteers included a couple with two young children, three women who I think knew each other, two men who did not know each other and myself. The Northbrook leader explained where we would be going and what would typically happen when we arrived at our destination and knocked on the door. He suggested we stop for lunch on the way to Wisconsin since our shift was scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. The women rode together in one car and I drove up with the two men. We were all on our way around 10:40 am

My driving friends were Jed Weiner, 70, a healthcare communications consultant living in Chicago, and Matt Cassidy, 51, a financial technology systems analyst (“I’m not a trader,” he emphasized) living in Northbrook. As Matt drove, we discussed why we were volunteering, what we did professionally, and other polite small talk. Jed was concerned that we had finished our shift before the Packers game started, a concern I had not considered. (What’s a Packer? Just kidding.)

Royalty on Route 94

Mars Cheese Castle. Credit: Wendi Kromash

I said I hadn’t been to Wisconsin before. As we continued on Route 94, someone pointed out the famous Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha. The what? The castle was on the other side of the highway and I missed the view, but they pointed it out on the way back. They asked if I wanted to stop for some cheese, but I declined and decided to save that experience for another day.

MiniVan 9

Our destination was Greendale, Wisconsin. I was concerned about the ease of use of the only software application, MiniVan 9part of NGPVan, a leading technology provider. “MiniVAN is the leading mobile app for democratic and progressive campaigns and causes,” it says on its homepage.

I worried unnecessarily; the app is easy to use and updates every few minutes. I downloaded the app before I left Evanston. Once on site in Wisconsin, I entered the code for my assignment. Within a minute, my assigned neighborhood appeared on my phone.

When you click on a house, the address and names of any registered voters living there (as of the most recent election) will appear. The data is listed separately for each voter. The app collects and organizes publicly available information about registered voters, such as “source file sex” (male or female), age, political party, date of registration, voting location and phone numbers. No information is available about voting history.

The app also collects how often the individual is contacted by phone or during a visit and the outcome of those interactions. We recorded what happened for each individual using the forms in the app or the notes section.

Our “captain” on the day, Michael Maxson, principal of an elementary school in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, emphasized that the most important thing was to have meaningful connection and conversation with anyone willing to talk to us. Ask them what issues they are most concerned about. Share why you volunteer. His enthusiasm was clear and genuine.

From left to right: volunteers Jed Weiner, Michael Maxson, Tom Spehert, Paula Spehert, Shivani Gandhi and Matt Cassidy Credit: Wendi Kromash

Meeting other voters

Everyone investigates with a partner. Each assignment concerns approximately 40 homes within a specific neighborhood, which usually takes about two hours. There is a short script that you will become familiar with before you start. Matt and I practiced it a few times and acted out different scenarios, which helped when we actually spoke to someone.

“All we have to do is get two or three new people per precinct to vote Democratic and we can win,” Michael said.

Probably in a third of the houses we visited there was no one home, or the residents refused to open the door. (Ring cameras screen visitors). Matt and I had fruitful conversations with a few people. When we asked what issue concerned them, “reproductive rights” and “abortion” were the only issues mentioned.

At least three people said they were uncomfortable sharing their political views because of their privacy and did not want to get involved. A few people told us they were voting for the other guy and we thanked them for voting. We learned that some students were not in school and updated that information in the app.

We saw multiple lawn signs for both candidates, but more Halloween decorations than anything else. However, the lawn sign below was especially noteworthy.

On a lawn in suburban Wisconsin. Credit: Wendi Kromash

All in all it was a worthwhile experience and I would do it again if time permits. If you want to help the Democrats and have a few hours to spare on a weekend day, sign up. It’s a good way to do something productive and meet new people.