Election Day: Tue, Nov 3, 2026No experience needed

Get out the vote (GOTV): volunteer from Chicago for the 2026 midterms

GOTV, short for get out the vote, is the last push of an election: making sure people who already support a candidate actually vote. Volunteers knock doors, make calls, and send reminders so every supporter knows when, where, and how to cast a ballot. Here is every way to help from Chicagoland before Election Day.

Find a GOTV shift See every way to help

What is get out the vote?

Most of a campaign is about persuasion: finding out where voters stand and talking with people who have not decided. Get out the vote is different. In the final weeks, campaigns turn to the supporters they have already identified and help them turn intention into a ballot.

Remind

Tell supporters when Election Day is and that early voting is open.

Locate

Help voters find their polling place or early voting site and its hours.

Plan

Ask when, where, and how they will vote, so the plan is concrete.

Follow up

Log every contact so the campaign can return to anyone who has not voted yet.

New to door knocking? Canvassing 101 walks through a sample script, including the make-a-plan-to-vote question every GOTV conversation ends with.

Why the final weeks before Nov 3 matter

Early voting opens in October. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa all have in-person early voting before Election Day, so every reminder in October can turn into a ballot cast that week. Exact dates are on the Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa pages.
Midterm turnout is lower. With no presidential race on the ballot, fewer people vote, so the supporters a campaign reaches can decide a close race.
The last four days are the biggest push. From Saturday, October 31 through Election Day, campaigns knock and call as many supporters as they can. That is when our final-weekend carpools run.

Every way to get out the vote

Pick the one that fits your weekend. Illinois is not a swing state, so Chicago volunteers help in nearby races.

In person

Canvass carpool

Ride free from Chicago to knock doors in Wisconsin, Michigan, or Iowa. The 46th Ward Dems run final-weekend get-out-the-vote canvasses to Iowa and Michigan every day from Saturday, Oct 31 through Election Day, and an overnight early-vote trip to Iowa leaves Friday, Oct 16.

Find a canvass carpool →

From home

Phone bank

Call swing-state voters from your couch or at a calling party. Every shift starts with a training, and the dialer keeps your number private.

Find a phone bank →

Near you

Postcards

Write handwritten reminders to swing-state voters at a postcard party around Chicagoland. Hosts provide the cards, addresses, and scripts.

Find a postcard party →

Wisconsin →

Carpools to Kenosha, Racine, and southeast Wisconsin, 60 to 90 minutes from Chicago.

Michigan →

Carpools around the lake to southwest Michigan, including the final-weekend GOTV canvasses.

Iowa →

Drive-directly shifts in Dubuque, the overnight early-vote trip, and final-weekend GOTV canvasses.

Upcoming GOTV shifts from Chicago

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Weekend of October 10 & 11

Hyde Park Canvass to Michigan

Sat Oct 10 · 8:00 AMUChicago Dems

Knock doors in Michigan with the UChicago Dems

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Uptown Canvass to Michigan

Sat Oct 10 · 8:00 AM46th Ward Dems

Knock doors in Michigan with the 46th Ward Dems to flip the U.S. House and Senate

★ MichiganSign up

Naperville Canvass to Michigan

Sat Oct 10 · 8:00 AMIndivisible Illinois

Knock Doors in Michigan with Indivisible Illinois

★ MichiganSign up

Evanston Canvass to Iowa

Sat Oct 10 · 8:30 AMNorthwestern College Dems

Bus trip to Iowa with the Northwestern College Dems

IowaSign up

Oak Park Canvass to Wisconsin

Sat Oct 10 · 9:00 AMDemocratic Party of Oak Park

Knock doors in Wisconsin with the Democratic Party of Oak Park

★ WisconsinSign up

Rogers Park Canvass to Wisconsin

Sat Oct 10 · 10:00 AM

Knock doors in Wisconsin with Biss for Congress

★ WisconsinSign up

Milwaukee Canvass to Wisconsin

Sat Oct 10 · 10:00 AM

Knock doors in Wisconsin: Drive Directly

★ WisconsinSign up

Dubuque Canvass to Iowa

Sat Oct 10 · 12:00 PM

Knock doors in Iowa: Drive Directly

IowaSign up

Muscoda Canvass to Wisconsin

Sat Oct 10 · 12:00 PM

Join Men4Choice to knock doors in Wisconsin

★ WisconsinSign up

Chicago Canvass to Michigan

Sun Oct 11 · 8:00 AMSwing Left

Hop on the bus from Chicago to Benton Harbor (MI-04) to flip the House

★ MichiganSign up

Dubuque Canvass to Iowa

Sun Oct 11 · 12:00 PM

Knock doors in Iowa: Drive Directly

IowaSign up

Lincoln Square Postcard Party

Wed Oct 7 · 6:00 PM

47th Ward Democrats Wednesday Nights Voter & Volunteer Outreach

IllinoisSign up

North Center Phonebank

Wed Oct 7 · 6:00 PM32nd Ward Dems

Voter & Volunteer Outreach with the 32nd Ward Democrats

IllinoisSign up

Evanston Phonebank

Wed Oct 7 · 6:30 PMPink Poster Club

Make calls to swing states with Pink Poster Club! (In-Person)

Swing statesSign up

Oak Park Phonebank

Thu Oct 8 · 6:00 PMDemocratic Party of Oak Park

Make Calls to Swing States with the Democratic Party of Oak Park

Swing statesSign up

Winnetka Postcard Party

Fri Oct 9 · 10:30 AMNew Trier Dems

Write postcards to swing states

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Weekend of October 17 & 18

Uptown Canvass to Iowa

Fri Oct 16 · 4:00 PM

Get out the early vote in Iowa! (Overnight Trip!)

IowaSign up