Knocking-up
At some
point during Election Day, usually dependent on the availability of
volunteers, the committee room organiser will send people out to ‘Knock-Up’
your supporters who have not yet voted. It is usual practice to leave
this until at least lunchtime as most people who don’t vote early
tend to vote after work. If you know your area as you should you will
know who is likely to be in and who is not. The simplest method of doing
this is to equip the volunteers with a version of the Out Card which
has a message on it reminding voters that this is Polling Day. These
can be popped through letterboxes and can remind anyone who goes straight
home after work that they really should visit the polling station. Just
because it is your most important day does not mean it is theirs and
some people do genuinely forget.
Don’t
expect people to drop everything and run to the polls. Even in households
where one partner is at home all day, a significant number will wait
until the other partner returns from work before voting, which they
most likely will do together. If someone tells you they will vote at
6 pm make a note that getas passed on each time that road is knocked-up
and do NOT visit that person again until after 6pm.
UK elections
usually occur on Thursdays, which for most of is a working day. In most
areas there is a rush to the polls in the early morning and early evening
so the evening knock-ups are vital. If you are short of volunteers and
they can only help for a part of the day ask them if they help in the
evening.
Keep your
Knock-Up sheets as up to date as possible so that you send your knockers-up
to the area with the largest number of supporters who have not yet voted
but at the same time try to ensure that every area is visited during
the course of the day.
Continue to The Count....