Roles:

Organizer and Admin

Every VAN user is set to either organizer or admin (with the exception of state party admins). Below is a description of what organizers and admins can do.


Organizer

In MyVoters and MyCampaign, organizers can:

  • Canvass voters in your district.
  • Make calls to supporters and recruit them to volunteer.
  • View canvass results (how many people did we canvass today? How many refused, weren't home, etc.)
  • Cut turf for door-knocks, lit drops, and lawn sign drop-offs.
  • Create events (both in-person and virtual events).
  • Create lists.
  • View event participants.
  • Check in event attendees.


Admin

In MyVoters and MyCampaign, admin can:

  • Request API integrations.
  • Request exports.
  • Search on scores.


VAN Guide:

Main Menu


Output Requests (myV/myC)

Any time we approve an export for somebody, they can find the file in My Export Files.


My Export Files (myV/myC)

When a campaign requests an export and the DFL approves it, the campaign can find the file in My Export Files.


My PDF Files (myV/myC)

Campaigns might create a list and then want to print it. When printing paper lists for voter contact, those lists live here.


Counts/Crosstabs Outputs (myV/myC)

This is used for demographic analysis of voters, so you know who is in your list. It provides a snapshot of a voter population using  pre-defined criteria.


Follow Ups (myV/myC)

A list of people whom you have marked that you will follow up.


Support Requests (myV/myC)

If you place a request for support from NGPVAN, it will show up here.


Contact the Admin (myV/myC)

If you're running into a problem, click this to contact your VAN admin. Please describe your problem in detail so they can help you as quickly as possible.


Request a User Account (myV)

Click this if you want to request an account for another user.


Create Targeted Videos (myV/myC)

This is if you have any interest in creating targeted videos for your political campaign.


Quick Look-up

Allows you to search for individual voters in VAN. This is helpful if you want to call someone back!


Load Data

This section contains various tools for tracking data you get from voters during call time, out on the doors, or at events. 


Quick Mark(myV/myC)

Quick mark is a way to enter data for individuals. You can use quick mark to tag your potential volunteers, mark survey responses for expired lists, and more. You can click on Quick Mark on the right hand side of the Main Menu and then you will choose which data you want to enter. This could be a survey question, an activist code, etc. On the next page, select the specific code or response you wish to add. You also need to enter how you got the response (a phonebank would be Phone, a canvass would be Walk, etc). This is useful when you have a long list of voters and need to apply the same code/response to all of them.


Scan Barcodes(myV/myC)

If you have a physical paper sheet of paper with voter data that you would like to add to VAN, you can use Scan Barcodes to upload it to VAN using a barcode on your sheet of paper. Make sure you have a barcode scanner downloaded to your phone!


Script View (myV/myC)

You can use this tool to look up lists and enter data.


Grid View(myV/myC)

If you want to upload data on paper into VAN, enter the list number. You are able to find this at the bottom right corner of any of the walk/call sheets you had printed then click Next twice.


Form View(myV/myC)

Enter data using form view allows you to view lists. 


Print blank number allows you to print a blank report.


Run Bulk Uploads (myV/myC)

If you have an online spreadsheet (maybe an Excel or Google Sheets file) full of voter data that you collected on the doors and you'd like to add it to VAN, you can convert the file to a CSV, and then use Run Bulk Uploads to add it to VAN! An example might be you want to upload data showing who has purchased an item from your webstore.


Lists


Create a New List (myV/myC)

VAN operates primarily be creating lists of voters who you want to call, canvass, target with ads, or invite to events. You can build and manage those lists here. 


Some list tools you might want to use when creating a list:

  • Home districts(myV/myC): Filter down to the people living in specific Congressional districts.
  • Scores(myV): Scores are modeling criteria from a variety of organizations, including the DNC, DCCC, Civis, Clarity, and TargetSmart. These can model general Democratic support, specific Candidate support, positions on specific issues, and a variety of other topics. 
  • Likely Party (myV): Filter the list down to Strong Democrats, Lean Democrats, Undecided
  • Survey Questions (myV/myC): Filter the list down to people who responded a certain way during a phone bank. For example, you could create a list of people who said they would be interested in volunteering later!
  • Organizing Turfs (myV): Organizing Turfs is another way to break up people by geographic locations, much like Home Districts. Individual campaigns can set up turfs. Check with your field director to see if this applies to your campaign. 


Go to My List(myV/myC)

View the most recent list you have made. This will be grayed out if you do not currently have a list.


View Folders(myV/myC)

Here you can find your lists that you create for phonebanks/door knocks/lit drops/etc.


Canvassing


Canvass Results (myV/myC)

By using Canvass Results, you can gain an understanding of where your campaign has canvassed, how many attempts have been made, the number of people who were actually canvassed versus how many refused, didn't answer the phone,  had a language barrier, etc.


Turfs (myV)

Here you can find the turfs you've created for door knocking, lawn sign drop off, and literature drops.


View Map Region Refresh Queue (myV)

There are states that cut all of their turf at the beginning of the cycle, and they cut it in such a way that you cover every possible way in an area or geography so that you are always going to be, you’re going to cover all of the possible houses, a


MiniVAN(myV/myC)

This is where you manage door-to-door canvassing campaigns and see the results from past and current voter contact efforts. You can click on MiniVAN Campaign List and view all of the campaigns that have MiniVAN set up.


Quick Tasks


Virtual Phone Bank (myV/myC)

This is the primary phone tool in VAN for organizers and volunteers. Here, you can enter a virtual phone bank code and go directly to the phone bank you're looking for. Or you can view the phone banks that are available to you and choose one of those.