Data entry for campaign

[my3boyz]

Have any of you tried it? What exactly do you enter? Any special programs (like excel, powerpoint,etc) that you need to be able to use? I would like to volunteer for something like that but I would like a little more info before I show up at the campaign office.

[Diamonique]

1. I did data entry for Kerry/Edwards in 2004

They had a web site for the Michigan Dem Party. First we did phone banking and checked off answers to the various questions. Then after a few weeks of that, we started entering those answers into the web site.

You don't need to know any software. It's just forms and you type yes, no, etc., then move to the next one. It took about 5 minutes for them to show us how to navigate the site and enter the data. If yours is the same or similar, it'll be a piece of cake.

[my3boyz]

2. Cool. Thanks for the info. :) I can't wait to get started. nt

[SharonRB]

3. They'll train you

I'm going to be heading up the data entry people for one of the two Obama teams being set up in our community. It's really pretty easy.

[InvisibleTouch]

4. That sounds like my kind of volunteering. :)

I'm not big on phoning people or knocking on their doors (though I did it for Kerry in '04); I'm much happier left to my own devices with a computer. I've already signed up to volunteer locally; hope they will e-mail me soon.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. If it is the same system as the primary, the data entry system is online.

I was able to use my own computer and even do some of it at home.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

5. I did data entry for Obama!

It's easy peasy. They teach you everything you know. It takes maybe 20 minutes to learn.

[LiberalFighter]

7. We used what you will probably be using last year.

We had both canvass and phone surveys.

We initially entered the data manually. Then moving to using bar code scanners which would automatically bring up the correct voter and entering the results. Very easy.

Then closer to the election predictive dialing was used and the phone bank person would perform the data entry as they were posing the questions.

We had phone banks as early as 1PM until 9PM I think. 12-13 spots were available each evening. With the phone bank and canvass surveys I don't think it took us more than an hour or two for 1-2 persons to complete the task. The most difficult part of the task was deciphering the handwriting or intent of the surveyor AND if the sheets were printed when the toner was low. The population of our city is about 250,000.

To save on paper don't print new response barcode sheets every time. Put together 1 set more than the most expected to input the data. We had 3 sets for the 2 of us.

I also inputted data on the volunteers and specifics on what they were willing to volunteer to do and their preference for days and hours to work.

I started out at 1 day a week for a couple of weeks and then bumping it up another day until I got up to 5 days a week the last two weeks before the election over a 3 month period.