Meet the call night

It is almost impossible to miss: the elections are coming. On 22 November we get to vote again for the Lower House, which of course means plenty of campaigning. After all, the stakes are high: we could become the largest party for the first time in a long time.

But how does such a campaign work? In this series of articles, we want to give you an insight into our campaign and, above all, get you excited about joining in. After all, there is something for everyone: from phoning to door-to-door to flyering!

In this article, we talk to Stijn Honselaar who tells us a bit more about the call nights and may even be able to convince some of you to join the campaign. 

1.   You yourself have often participated in a call night, but what is it really?

Yes right! I coordinated the calling of JS and DWARS members and was also on the GroenLinks-PvdA volunteer team in that capacity. With these call nights, we mobilise members to get involved in the campaigns. We know from experience that emails and group apps do not lead to a very high response rate in this regard. By having a personal phone conversation (or an app if someone doesn't answer) you create a personal connection and people are more likely to feel obliged or comfortable to drop by.

2.   And why is this so important that you keep doing this?

An election campaign largely runs on volunteers and you try to find people through them to set up events or just flyers on the streets and door-to-door. I myself chose to contribute to the campaign in this way because the work mainly happens in the evenings during the week and, as a student, I have the most time then.

3.     What is the nicest conversation you have had with a member during a call night?

Of course, I also know quite a lot of members very well so then having a campaign talk can lead to funny situations. But there was also someone from a right-wing party who had been made a member by a friend for fun, and lots of people who want to join very enthusiastically but then turn out to have moved to another province (and so never changed their address).

4.     Some people will be nervous about this kind of activity (I was myself), what makes call nights fun?

It's fun because with members you almost always get a nice response. Also, you get quite a bit tired (and corny) of calling two dozen people so at the end of the day. While you do that on the party premises with a lot of other people you know well and sometimes not so well. So every evening also ends with a social close as a result, a drink after and some music and that fraternises. This is not my first campaign and every time it is quite intense but above all it is a party where you make new friends with people who also want to stand up for more solidarity.

5.   If anyone is reading this now and wondering how they can join a call night, what should they do?

Connecting with members is especially important for the early stages of a campaign. Because then you have to lay foundations for the part where we really start banging together. But even if you get there a bit later, there is still so much to do, like going door-to-door and convincing your own friends and family to vote for the United Left. And above all it is very informative, non-committal and approachable because parties are always eager for new people, even if you are not available that much. We do our best to make sure everyone feels as welcome and helped as possible to join a campaign. So above all, expect a really fun time. After all, you're doing it together.

Have you now become enthusiastic and want to join in? The next and last call night is on 9 November. Other activities can also be found in our calendar. If you have any questions or want to join our Whatsapp community, please send an app to +31 6 27260135! 

In the next article, we will take you through the so-called “left pendulum”, the next of which falls on Saturday, November 11.