Campaign jargon

Take a look at all the lingo you need to know when you’re out volunteering with us.


What does it all mean?

You’ll hear the terms Voter ID and canvassing, often used interchangeably, though they actually mean slightly different things:

Canvassing can refer to asking people for support at election time, but it’s also used to refer to the issues-based campaigning done throughout the year, not just at election time. We talk to people all year round so when it comes to election time, we know what matters to them, and they know why they should vote for us.

Voter ID refers to the process of gathering people’s voting intentions, whether face to face or over the phone. It’s simply asking people who they intend to vote for.

Door knocking is an incredibly effective form of canvassing. It’s when a small team of volunteers will knock on people’s doors and have a conversation face to face.

Phone banking is all about talking to electors over the phone, usually carried out by a group of volunteers and usually sticking closely to a Voter ID script.

GOTV means ‘Get out the Vote’, and it is exactly that! We get in touch with all of our ‘Labour promises’ to remind them that it’s polling day, and to make their vote count by voting Labour.

The tools we use

Rounds or a road group. A round or a road group is a set of streets you’ll be covering in your door knocking session. One round usually takes about an hour between four people, so not too strenuous!

The Board is our log of who we want to talk to, and where we record what they say. It shows the people we want to talk to, and exactly who we expect to be in each house.

The Board Runner/Running the Board refers to the person who will tell you which house to go to. They will give you some more information about each individual, such as their previous voting intentions, or whether they have a postal vote. You’ll report back to the board runner when you’ve spoken to the person.

Calling cards, or outcards are the leaflets we post when someone isn’t in, just to let them know their local Labour Party called round and tried to speak to them!