Field Tactics 101

Field Tactics 101 introduces the core voter-contact methods campaigns use to reach, persuade, and mobilize voters. Designed for volunteers, organizers, and campaign staff, this course explains how common field tactics fit together and how campaigns can use them strategically rather than simply doing more outreach for its own sake. Participants will learn the fundamentals of phone banking, texting, canvassing, relational organizing, and other voter-contact methods; how to choose the right tactic for a campaign’s goals and resources; and how effective field programs use conversations to collect useful voter data, identify supporters, and strengthen future outreach. The course also covers practical fundamentals such as preparing volunteers, structuring voter conversations, recording results, following up effectively, and using repeated voter contacts to build toward persuasion and get-out-the-vote efforts. By the end of Field Tactics 101, participants should understand the major tools available to a field program, what each is best suited for, and how to begin applying them within a real campaign.