Introduction
Using Lists
Before you are able to do just about any type of voter contact in VAN, you'll need to create a list of voters. For more details on doing so, please use our Create a List guide under Getting Started => Finding Voters, and we also recommend using our Targets, TDP Partisanship Score, and Survey Questions/Activist Code pages under Contacting Voters for other ways you can narrow your searches to just the right group of voters.
With list building, you should look to be as specific as possible and ensure you are applying Suppressions and excluding Early Voters whenever possible. Below is a breakdown from the My List page of how to take your list and use it to contact voters:
Creating a list for phonebanking (1)
For quickly creating a list to call through, you'll want to navigate to "Calls" and select "Set up Virtual Phone Bank." From there, you'll be able to quickly set up a phone bank and receive a code you can share with your callers.
Creating a list for blockwalking/canvassing (2)
To prepare lists for blockwalking, select Cut Turf. You'll then need to click and drag the shapes on the map to specify the specific area you want encompassed by each list, and will then be able to view the results under My Turfs in Organizing.
Creating a list for mail (3)
For sending mailers, you'll probably want to use either Letters or Labels, depending on whether you are printing envelopes or mailing labels. You can also use Print to just print addresses in plain text, but for directly setting up your mailers, either Letters or Labels is likely the best choice.
Creating a list for texting (4)
If you already have a texting service integrated with VAN (see API Keys for more information), you can select "Messages" to quickly send a list directly to Hustle or a similar application.
Creating a list for robocalls (5)
For robocalls, you'll either need to select Calls if you are using the Predictive Dialer or Export if you are exporting the phone numbers to call using a third-party system.