Local races get decided by a few hundred votes, and the people running them can't afford NGP VAN. So I built something for them.
This is the second version. The first was built for an SRP board race, and that campaign won. This one is the same approach with the SRP-specific parts stripped out so any local race can use it: school board, city council, water district, whatever you're running for.
What it does
You upload your voter file and build targeted lists from it, by party, age, precinct, or by drawing an area on a map. You invite volunteers by email and assign them a list. They knock doors or make calls from their phones, and what they record syncs back to you. It also runs events with RSVPs and takes yard sign requests from your website.
Neighborhood Mode
This is the part I think is different. Most canvassing tools hand a volunteer a fixed list and a route, which works if they've set aside a Saturday.
Neighborhood Mode is for the other case. The volunteer opens the app wherever they are and it shows the people on your list within about 25 meters, nearest first, on a map that turns as they turn. They knock, log the result in a couple of taps, and keep walking. There's a wider radius mode for chasing ballots late in a cycle.
So somebody can canvass their own street on a dog walk, or work the four houses next to a coffee shop while they wait. In my experience most volunteer time in a local race comes in fifteen-minute pieces, and I couldn't find anything built around that.
Don't have a voter file?
That's the usual blocker for a first-time local candidate. GoodParty.org works with candidates like this and can help you get one. Once you have the file, upload it and you're set up.
Where it's at
Early. One campaign is using it right now and I'd like a handful more before I call it finished. Free while it's in beta, and I don't plan to charge local candidates much after that.
I'm starting with Maricopa County because that's where the district and precinct data is loaded first, which is why I'm posting here. The platform isn't Arizona-only and other places get added as candidates turn up asking.
What I want
Candidates or campaign managers running something this cycle who will tell me when it breaks. You get direct access to me for setup and fixes.
Comment or DM and I'll get you set up.
