How to create a list
Creating a list of voters is the first step to running a canvass or phone bank. From the Lists section in the middle column on the homepage, you can navigate to either creating a new list, returning to your most recently created list (Go To My List), or accessing a list that has been saved into a folder.
SELECT Create A New List. Create a new list is found on the main menu of both MyVoters and EveryAction.
How to select the features of your list
From the "Create A New List" page, you can search based on a wide variety of data points, such as location (under the Addresses tab, you can select to search by state, city, zip code, address, etc.), Home District (County, State, or Congressional), demographic in- formation, and profile characteristics such as having a listed phone number or email ad- dress. When pulling lists for canvassing or phone banking, several other important fields to keep in mind may include voting history, party affiliation, etc. These tools allow users to pull (or exclude) voters from lists based on their previous contact history or voter info.
Selecting multiple search criteria
Many fields on the Create A List Page include the ability to select multiple items from the list for that field (selecting multiple counties for one list, for example). These fields can be identified because their names appear in blue text (as seen below), rather than black (as seen above). To use this feature, rather than selecting the drop-down menu, click on the field description in blue to select multiple items.
Track your list
As you choose criteria to search by, they will appear in the summary on the right-hand side of the screen, allowing you to track the criteria that you are using to build your list. You can add new steps/criteria by selecting the "+ Add Step" button, as shown below.
Run the search
Clicking the "Preview My Results" button will show you a count of people on the list without fully running the search. The plus sign to the left of the number displayed expands the preview to show number of phones, doors, and mailboxes present on the list as well, as seen above. When you are satisfied with the list you have pulled, the green Run Search button will process the query and return your results.
View the list
Once VAN has run the search, the My List page will display a summary of the list, a row of icons with various options for using the list, and a sample of the list to allow you to spot check the data.
The icons at the top of the screen of the My List page demonstrate the most common actions that organizers will use lists for: Phone Banking (OpenVPB), Canvassing (MiniVAN), and Data Entry (Grid, Script, Form, Bulk Apply). Hovering your cursor over an icon will reveal more information about each action. To rearrange the icons, simply drag and drop them to move your most commonly used to your favored positions. After the results are shown for a list, if the icon is gray, that means that option is either not available or cannot accommodate the size of your list. If the option you are wishing to use is grayed out, consider splitting your list into two or more smaller lists, or narrowing your list by adding more steps by selecting "Edit Search" in the upper right of your screen and selecting an option to continue narrowing your list.
You can also save your list for future or repeated use by selecting "Save List As" in the upper right of the screen. Saving your list as a Saved List saves the exact people you've pulled in the list at that moment. Saving it as a Saved Search saves the list based on the criteria you created your list by. In the former, you'll get the same voters every time, while in the latter you can potentially get new or different voters based on who currently matches the criteria you initially created the list by.
Beth