March 16 Call-in Day for the Courts Frequently Asked Questions
Updated often. Please check carefully to see if your question is answered here before emailing. For questions about the campaign more generally, check out our Operation Democracy overview and FAQ.
General Questions | Door-to-Door Questions | Tabling Questions
General Questions
For specific questions on the judicial issue or the nuclear options, see our background info page...
What day is the call-in day? You said Wednesday but the handout said Tuesday?
Who do you call if you're in Washington, DC, and don't have a senator?
What materials will you provide for the call-in day?
What's our goal for the day, in terms of calls?
How can I get people to make calls?
What's involved in making a call?
If someone calls both of their senators, does that count as one call or two?
Will we report back to you what happened?
Will you send us a sample letter to send out?
Do we have to follow the script?
Do we have to get our calls made on Wednesday?
What if the line is busy?
What if I get an answering machine?
Who do I need to talk to when I call?
How much will people need to know to make the phone call?
There are multiple phone numbers on the flyer – which is the best to call?
What else can we do besides the call-in day?
I can’t go get phone calls until after work, won’t that be too late? Won’t everyone in the office have already left for the day?
Do you have to be registered to vote to call your senator? Or over 18?
Do phone calls from progressive activists really make a difference? Won’t my conservative senator know that I’m definitely/never going to vote for him/her?
My senators are really conservative, there’s no way either of them would vote against the nuclear option. Should I still call them?
My senators are really progressive. I already know they’re going to vote against the nuclear option. Should I still call them?
Should we ask people to call just one senator?
The phone number you gave me for my Senator isn’t working. What should I do?
How do I report the calls I personally made online?
Door-to-door Questions
It gets dark early where I live. Is it ok to go door to door at night?
What are the best times to go door to door?
My neighborhood has a “no soliciting” policy. Is it ok to go door to door?
I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m nervous about running into people who disagree with me and having a confrontation. What should I do?
I live in a conservative neighborhood and I don’t think my neighbors will agree with me on this. Should I still do it?
Our team covers a huge area. It’s seems kind of random to just knock on a few doors…
Are we going to get lists of voters to talk to, like we did during Leave No Voter Behind?
Shouldn’t we have a system for tracking who we talk to, if we’re going to do this again?
Tabling Questions
What is tabling?
Do I need a permit to do "table" for phone calls?
Do I need a table?
What are the best places to table?
My team and I decided that we want to get our phone calls by tabling, but we live in the suburbs and there aren’t many good places. Can we travel into the city to get our calls?
I don’t have enough daytime minutes. What should I do?
I have a question that isn't answered here. What do I do?
General Questions
For specific quesitons on the judicial issue or the nuclear options, see our background info page...
What day is the call-in day? You said Wednesday but the handout said Tuesday?
We've switched the date of the call-in day so the correct day is now Wednesday, March 16. We've changed it to give you more time to prepare, and to reinforce a rally happening in Washington late that week against biased judges.
Who do you call if you're in Washington, DC, and don't have a senator?
You should target your calls to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, the Tennessee Republican who controls the agenda and is most influential on judicial nominations and whether the rules change to silence the Democrats is forced through.
What materials will you provide for the call-in day?
We'll post helpful materials online for on Sunday or Monday: a flyer you can download, explaining the issue and giving the names of the senators and the phone numbers to call for your state; a sample script for talking to people; an email you can customize and forward to friends and family asking them to make a call; how-to guides to “tabling” and canvassing; and background information on the judicial issue.
What's our goal for the day, in terms of calls?
You should work to get at least 5 calls made to each Senator for every member of your team, so a three-member team would get 15 people to make calls. To make reporting simpler, we'll ask you to track total calls instead of seperately counting calls to each senator -- so you would actually report 30 calls for the team as a whole (or 29 or 28 if not every person made both calls). If you can do more, that's great!
How can I get people to make calls?
Try emailing friends & family, passing out flyers at work, standing in front of a post office or supermarket at a table with a cell phone so people can make calls right there, knock on your neighbors' doors and ask them to call, or any other way you can think of. The key is to ask people to commit to making a call, not just taking a flyer and saying they'll think about it, and then keeping track as best you can of who actually made a call. We'll ask you to report that information to us. So if you're contacting people before Wednesday, make sure you know how to follow up with people (e.g. ask them to sign a sheet pledging to call), and if you contact them on Wednesday, if possible ask them to make the call right there while you're watching, on your cell phone or theirs (or their home phone if you're at canvassing door-to-door).
What's involved in making a call?
It’s easy, and you don’t have to be an expert. Just say this to whoever answers the phone: “I urge Senator ____ to oppose the 'nuclear option' and keep the courts fair by requiring that judges should have broad support in the Senate. Thank you.”
If someone calls both of their senators, does that count as one call or two?
So your goal is to get 5 people to call both senators. But to make reporting simpler, we're counting the total number of calls instead of tracking calls to each senator in separate categories (we're asking you to report calls instead of people since not every person will call both senators). So one person making two calls counts as one fifth of your total goal. For our reporting, that counts as two calls.
Will we report back to you what happened?
Yes. We'll send you links to a page where you can report how many people you know made calls, as well as to a page where you can track our progress overall, and yours as a team.
Will you send us a sample letter to send out?
Yes. We'll email you a sample email you can forward to your personal network, with a special link they can use to report the call to us so that we know to credit it to your team.
Do we have to follow the script?
We created the script to help you talk about these issues. We suggest you stick to it because we've tested and improved it so we know it works, and because it follows the message we think will help our campaign win. The more we stick to the same message, the better we'll be at counteracting the very effective Republican message machine. But you should use it as a guide, rather than sounding stilted or rote. And ultimately, of course, you can say whatever you want.
Do we have to get our calls made on Wednesday?
We'd like you to meet your goals on Wednesday, if possible. By generating tens of thousands of calls in a single day, we can make a powerful statement and put our senators on notice. But you certainly don't have to stop there! The more calls, the better. If you can keep doing outreach, please do! We intentionally designed a flyer that could be used on Wednesday or any other day.
Try your other senator or another office. If all these numbers are busy (a very good sign!), be sure to give the caller a flier and strongly encourage them to try again later.
What if I get an answering machine?
No problem. Leave a message saying “Hi. My name is ________. I live in _______ and I’m calling to urge Senator ____ to oppose the 'nuclear option' and keep the courts fair by requiring that judges should have broad support in the Senate. Thank you."
Who do I need to talk to when I call?
You can talk to who ever answers the phone. In politician’s offices, they keep tallies of how many phone calls they receive on different issues. So your voice will be heard regardless of who you talk to.
How much will people need to know to make the phone call?
Callers don't have to be experts. No one will grill them to check their knowledge on the issue. They just need to be able to tell their senator’s office that they think that the Republican’s plan to stack the courts is wrong.
There are multiple phone numbers on the flyer – which is the best to call?
Start with your senator’s DC office. If that line is busy, then call the local office.
What else can we do besides the call-in day?
We know that a great call-in day will take us a long way, but it won't win this issue for us. So, if you can, please keep doing outreach and getting more phone calls to your senators. We'll also email you in the next couple weeks about some other options you can take on this issue. In general, as part of Operation Democracy we will offer your team at least different kinds of actions to take a month on judges and other isssues. You can also focus on recruiting more people for your team .
I can’t go get phone calls until after work, won’t that be too late? Won’t everyone in the office have already left for the day?
It’s fine to call after the office has closed, just leave a message. The senator’s office keeps a tally of the number of phone calls they receive on different issues. So even if you don’t talk to anyone in person, adding your voice to this tally will shave much the same impact.
Do you have to be registered to vote to call your senator? Or over 18?
Anyone who is a resident of the state your senator represents can call. The senator is supposed to represent all of the state’s constituents, not just the voters.
Do phone calls from progressive activists really make a difference? Won’t my conservative senator know that I’m definitely/never going to vote for him/her?
The goal of this call-in day is to show the senators how broad the opposition to the “nuclear option” is. So regardless of your political beliefs, we need your voice to be heard on Wednesday. And this is not a clear-cut left/right issue. Some relatively conservative senators have voiced concern about what the "nuclear option" would do to the institution of the Senate. And many senators of all stripes will be nervous about voting for something that is perceived as an attack on bipartisanship or democracy. So your calls will make a big difference.
My senators are really conservative, there’s no way either of them would vote against the nuclear option. Should I still call them?
Yes. We need people calling from all over the country to show how broad the opposition to nuclear option is. And if your senator receives enough phone calls, he/she may start to have second thoughts about how closely the want to be associated with something that is perceived as an attack on bipartisanship or democracy.
My senators are really progressive. I already know they’re going to vote against the nuclear option. Should I still call them?
Yes. We need people calling from all over the country to show how broad the opposition to nuclear option is. We also need supportive senators to be willing to really fight the Republican leadership on this issue, and take leadership roles in opposing the nuclear option. This is never an easy decision for a senator to make. Your phone calls will help reassure your senators that their constituents want them to take this sort of active role, and that you'll be there to support them if they do.
Should we ask people to call just one senator?
No. You should try to get people to call both senators. Each phone call should take under a minute, so it’s not much more of a time commitment.
How do I report the calls I personally made online?
To register your own calls you can just click on the same link that you’ve been forwarding to your friends for them to report.
Door-to-door Questions
It gets dark early where I live. Is it ok to go door to door at night?
Yes. During the winter most door to door canvassing has to be done after dark. But you might want bring a flashlight and stick to neighborhoods that you know fairly well. If you’re nervous, bring a buddy along.
What are the best times to go door to door?
The best times are 4-9 pm on week days. That’s when you’ll find the most people home.
My neighborhood has a “no soliciting” policy. Is it ok to go door to door?
Yes. Since we’re not asking for money, the no soliciting policy doesn’t apply to you. If you have any doubt, you can always try calling your local police department.
I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m nervous about running into people who disagree with me and having a confrontation. What should I do?
It’s completely normal to be nervous about going door to door for the first time–most people are. But you’ll find that once you get a few houses under your belt, it not only becomes less scary, but you can start having fun. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors. We also designed the script to minimize confrontation. When someone tells you they support Bush’s judicial policy, then you can just thank them for their time and move along to the next door.
I live in a conservative neighborhood and I don’t think my neighbors will agree with me on this. Should I still do it?
Yes. Think of it as your goal to go through your neighborhood and start finding those people that share your concerns. You’ll find that these people are thrilled to find someone at their door talking about these issues – even more so than those who live in progressive neighborhoods. You’ll also be surprised by some of your neighbors; members are already telling us that they’ve found Bush voters who are concerned about this issue and who are willing to call their senators.
Our team covers a huge area. It’s seems kind of random to just knock on a few doors…
The goal of this call-in day is to get as many phone calls to our senators as possible, so you and your team should just pick part of your “turf” and start going to work. It’s ok if you don’t cover it all this time. We’ll be going door to door on a number of issues with Operation Democracy, so you can go to other areas next time. You might also want to think about consolidating the area you’re trying to cover.
Our goal is to build networks of relationships we can use to win on issues, build community, and ultimately win elections. That will take some time. But we have to start somewhere! Over time, with your help we'll recruit more teams to fill in the gaps.
Are we going to get lists of voters to talk to, like we did during Leave No Voter Behind?
No, not right now. For now, we want to talk to everyone we can. But as the 2006 elections come closer, we will start targeting folks who are unregistered or infrequent voters in key contested districts.
Shouldn’t we have a system for tracking who we talk to, if we’re going to do this again?
We plan to create a system to track these conversations, but it will likely take us a few months– we’ve got to get Operation Democracy fully up and running first! In the meantime, you should take down the name and address of supportive people yourself. If they’re really supportive, be sure to invite them to join your team.
Tabling Questions
"Tabling" just refers to standing, with or without a table, in high foot-traffic area and asking people to take an action like signing a petition, making a phone call, or giving a small donation. It's one of the most effective ways to mobi lize the general public, or identify new supporters on an issue or campaign.
Do I need a permit to do "table" for phone calls?
In most cities, you don’t need a permit to table on publicly owned property. But if you’re nervous or unsure, just call your police department. For more details on what’s publicly owned and what’s privately owned property, see our tabling guide.
Nope. You can do a great job at “tabling” with a clipboard or even an 8 x 11 piece of cardboard.
What are the best places to table?
While it varies from community to community, some good bets are:
- Your post office
- Outside a super market, health food store or corner store.
- The business district sidewalk or main street.
My team and I decided that we want to get our phone calls by tabling, but we live in the suburbs and there aren’t many good places. Can we travel into the city to get our calls?
If possible, you should try to find a location closer to where you all live. Operation Democracy is based on the idea that one neighbor talking to another neighbor is the best way to create political change. So get creative and see if you can find a good location close by.
I don’t have enough daytime minutes. What should I do?
You certainly don’t need to use your own cell phone to be very successful at tabling. You could either ask a friend to donate their phone and minutes or you can just ask people to use their own cell phones – since each call only takes a minute, this shouldn’t be a big deal.
The phone number you gave me for my Senator isn’t working. What should I do?
Sorry about that. To find a Senator’s DC office number go to the Senate website.
To find their regional office numbers, you will need to look around on their webpages.
Please be sure to let us know when you find a wrong number.
I have a question that isn't answered here. What do I do?
We can't answer every question individually, but if you contact us with your question; we'll answer the most common in this FAQ.