What is Deep Canvassing?
Most canvassing is transactional. Canvassers approach a contact with the idea that they will walk away with something. Deep canvassing is relational. It opens a genuine, unhurried conversation that meets people where they are. Deep canvass conversations allow our canvassers to engage in a way that changes hearts and minds by connecting an issue to the contacts’ lived experiences.
Traditional Canvassing:
Broad Reach & A Clear Message
Fact and issue-based persuasion
Shorter interactions, more doors
Mobilizes support
Short term urgency
Deep Canvassing:
Changing Hearts & Minds
Emotional, experience-based persuasion
10–20 minute conversations
Engages contacts who are uninformed or undecided
Long term shift
See it in Action
In Practice
Knox County: Our First Deep Canvassing Victory
In 2023, Knox County had a proposed large-scale solar project near Mt. Vernon Ohio. Frasier Solar was later approved in 2025. We worked with a local group, Knox for Responsible Solar, who was already talking to neighbors and community members about the solar project and why property rights were at the core of the debate.
This was our first program to apply deep canvassing principles. In this case, when the conversation of industrial solar was new to most of the neighbors involved, mobilizing supporters was not enough. To truly engage with the community, address concerns and change hearts and minds, we had to take a new-to-us approach. Deep canvassing allowed us to listen to the people living in Knox County, and who would be impacted by Frasier Solar. We identified what issues mattered most to community members.