Campaign Volunteering

Awareness & Understanding

Political campaigns are how candidates for public office — from Salt Lake City Council to U.S. Senate — reach voters and earn support. Campaigns rely heavily on volunteers to knock on doors, make phone calls, organize events, and spread the word. Start by watching "How Political Campaigns Work" on the iCivics YouTube channel (free). Then visit vote.utah.gov to see current elected positions in Utah and ballotpedia.org to read about any upcoming elections in Salt Lake County. Write down the names of three local or state offices up for election soon. You're ready for the next step when you can name three elected offices in Utah and explain what each one does.

Research & Investigation

Research the campaigns active in your area. Go to the Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office campaign finance site (disclosures.utah.gov) to see which candidates are raising money and running right now. Visit two or three candidate websites and read their positions on issues that matter to you — transportation, education, housing, or the environment. Watch a recorded debate or candidate forum on KUED or KSL's YouTube channels. Think about what values guide your interest — you don't have to agree with every position a candidate holds to learn from working on their campaign. You're ready for the next step when you can explain the positions of at least two candidates on one key local issue.

Planning & Preparation

Choose a campaign to join and reach out. Most campaigns list volunteer sign-up forms directly on their websites. Email or call the campaign office and introduce yourself — tell them your age, your availability, and what skills you can offer (writing, design, phone calls, data entry, door-knocking). Ask what their biggest volunteer needs are right now. Set a schedule: How many hours per week can you commit? Block that time on your calendar. Review any volunteer training materials the campaign provides. You're ready for the next step when you've contacted a campaign, confirmed your first volunteer shift, and know what tasks you'll be doing.

Taking Action

Show up and do the work. Complete at least four volunteer shifts over the course of two to three weeks. Common tasks include phone banking (calling voters from a script), canvassing (knocking on doors in neighborhoods across Salt Lake), entering data into the campaign's voter file system, or helping stuff mailers. Each task is a real skill — phone banking builds persuasive communication, canvassing builds resilience and active listening. Keep notes after each shift: What did voters say? What surprised you? What felt uncomfortable at first but got easier? You're ready for the next step when you've completed four shifts and can describe one thing you learned from a real voter interaction.

Leadership & Expansion

Take on more responsibility. Ask your campaign coordinator if you can lead a phone bank session, train new volunteers, or organize a small canvassing team. Study campaign strategy by reading "Running for Office" guides at ncsl.org (National Conference of State Legislatures) or listening to the "Campaign HQ" podcast. Reflect on whether any part of this experience makes you want to run for office yourself someday — even a student government seat uses every skill you're building right now. You're ready for the next step when you've taken on at least one leadership task within the campaign, no matter how small.

Impact & Reflection

After the campaign ends — win or lose — your civic education continues. Watch the election results and look up the final vote totals at results.utah.gov. Write a reflection: How did your volunteer work actually affect voters? What would you do differently if you volunteered on another campaign? What did this experience teach you about how democracy works at the street level? Thank your campaign coordinator and ask if you can stay in touch — these relationships matter in civic life. You're ready for the next step when you can explain, with specific examples, how volunteer work shapes the outcome of a local election.