VoteBuilder 101

About the Course

This course will introduce you to the basic functions of VoteBuilder, the software Democratic campaigns across the country use to organize their voter contact efforts. This course will use simulations to guide you through the strategy and tools you will use to get the most out of VoteBuilder. You will also learn when you need your own VoteBuilder account, and how to access it.

When to Take This Course

There is never a bad time to take this course. Campaigns, party officials, precinct captains, and volunteers from all over the United States use VoteBuilder at every step of the election cycle. Whether you are developing your campaign plan, organizing your persuasion efforts, kicking off your Early GOTV initiatives, or deep in your final GOTV push, getting more comfortable with VoteBuilder can be helpful.

Take Aways

In this course, you will learn how to use VoteBuilder to:

• Navigate and utilize the basic capabilities of the software
• Access resources for more information
• Make a list of voters
• Set up a canvass and a phone bank
• Enter data from voter contact efforts

By the end this course, you will have the following downloadable step-by-step resource guides:

• VoteBuilder Glossary
• Organizing Your Lists
• Creating Lists
• Key Field Numbers Workbook
• Preparing Walk Packets
• Setting Up a Phone Bank
• Sample Persuasion Script
• Entering Data

Thank You’s

This course was developed with assistance from many people throughout the Democratic community. NDTC would like to especially thank:

• NGPVAN, the creators of VAN (and VoteBuilder), for providing us access to the software
• Katie Ellis of Intrepid Strategies for lending her VoteBuilder and training expertise to the curriculum development process
• Luke Siebert, Data Director for the Maine Democratic Party. At the time we developed this training, Luke was the Data Director for the Montana Democratic Party and spent his “free time” during the 2018 election season developing the curriculum with us
• Cedar Interactive for all their work designing the interactive simulations

Sign up and enroll in this course to begin!

Course Instructor

Rose Clouston Instructor

Prior to joining NDTC, Rose was a National Coordinator at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, where she managed the non-partisan Election Protection hotline, training and managing thousands of volunteers who answered tens of thousands of voters’ questions in the 2014 and 2016 elections. She organized state-level poll monitoring and election reform advocacy efforts in Pennsylvania, New York and Florida. Previously, Rose worked at the New Organizing Institute creating an online guide to election laws, served as deputy campaign manager on a Virginia gubernatorial primary campaign and was a regional field director on a Florida gubernatorial campaign. Rose has a Master in Public Policy from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from the University of Florida. She is a Chicago native and in her free time enjoys running, yoga, watching Top Chef, and trying new vegetarian recipes (and getting omnivores to try them!).