It’s best to door knocking with a buddy, to assist with the process, keep you company and provide feedback along the way. Also, bring along dog treats to distract overly-friendly or somewhat aggressive pets at the door. (There are a lot of dogs, so be aware and prepared.)

Candidates routinely do not canvass together. The activity allows you to have a personal connection with the voter and explain your position on local issues.

As well, the number of votes to win a position for whom multiple candidates will be elected (like councillor) can be quite low. Every opportunity should be taken to demonstrate why you are the right person for the position.

Know when to move on. Some folks may want to simply challenge you or talk politics for a lengthy time. It’s a numbers game where you want to cover as much territory as possible, so have “go to” responses to end the encounter in a positive way.

if volunteers are available to canvass when the candidate is not, they can help by dropping literature, asking for support and gathering names for the candidate to contact later for those who wish a personal connection. Just make sure you are confident of the volunteer(s) speaking on your behalf.

Build in extra time to cover rural areas and use your team to blanket the area, handing out literature and publicizing upcoming appearances (at local community events and gatherings).

Have someone on your team who knows those in the area organize area coffee parties and contact local organizations

Go where the people are, including farmer markets, community breakfasts/fish fries/bbqs, coffee shops, hockey arena (wearing visible candidate ID like t-shirts or buttons).

Social media can help get the message out to voters and community influencers (important people in the community who will talk about the election). Private message people who are active on social media in your area to see if they would like more information and make a more personal connection.

Brief description of who you are, your involvement in the community, your values and how to vote information.

Including your photo will help people make a connection with you when they see you in the community.

Build an inventory of photos to use in your material and on social media. If others are visible, always get permission first!

Colours should be chosen that make the candidate feel great!

While municipal campaigns do not involve partisan affiliation, candidates may wish to alter the colour slightly aware from specific political party colours.

Lawn signs are very effective in getting your name out in the community and can be reused again if designed to do so.

TIP: You may need to purchase more stakes than signs, as they tend to break in extreme weather conditions.

Social media can be used to direct people to online information and boosts/ads may be needed to have visibility throughout the campaign period.

When setting up online social media accounts, add rules of engagement to refer to later.

While reading comments, remind yourself who you are, what you are hoping to accomplish and that this is just one person’s opinion.

If comments are extreme, private message asking the individual to remove them. If they are not removed, “mute” or or block the user yourself from future commenting (see rules of engagement).

“When people sling mud, it’s important not to sling mud back! They are not going to vote for you anyways and are not your audience.”

“Just because you are running for public office doesn’t mean others are entitled to drain your positive energy!”

Often you will have an immediate emotional response to a personal attack. Create a few possible responses that help de-escalate emotions (your team can help) for a “go to” response you can feel about later on.

Stay issue focussed and remember there is always another door to knock on and individual to speak with who will respect and support you!

If personal attacks happens in a more public setting, state why they are not true and take the high road. The audience will be observing your leadership skills in action.

Social media engagement rules and a strategy for response and removal will help de-personalize the attacks (see Trolls questions).

Surround yourself with people who build you up. If you aren’t comfortable on social media, have someone on your team manage comments to help you stay focussed on campaigning.