Do you find it hard to canvass for candidates whose positions don’t completely align with yours? Feel anxious about navigating voters’ strong emotions—and maybe your own—in contentious midterm races? Or wonder how to keep showing up when people tell you they’re sitting this one out? You’re not alone.

Elizabeth Chur, author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers, has trained 5,000 volunteers across the country to engage in meaningful conversations with voters. Through stories from the field, interactive demonstrations, and a conversation with Common Power’s Binh Truong, she’ll share practical strategies for keeping your balance, preventing burnout, and protecting your energy when emotions run high. (We’ll also leave extra time for your questions.) Whether you’re knocking doors for imperfect candidates, talking with grumpy voters, or wrestling with your own very human limitations, you’ll leave with practical tools to care for yourself while strengthening our democracy when it needs you most. As we head into the final weeks of the campaign, learn how to reconnect with your purpose, find meaning in the challenges ahead, and discover moments of joy.

Knocking on strangers’ doors to talk politics might sound about as enjoyable as doing your taxes—but canvassing is the most powerful tool we have for winning elections. It can also be surprisingly satisfying and even fun!

Elizabeth Chur (author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers) and Carol Blaney share real-life stories, demonstrate voter conversations, and show how empathy and a few simple phrases can create genuine connections. Join us for a 20-minute glimpse of what can happen when we step outside our comfort zones, knock on a door, and listen—and how thousands of these conversations across the country can help win close races, reshape Congress, and save our democracy.

Ever freeze up after “Hi, I’m calling about the election…”? Nervously speed through your script at the door like you’re auctioning livestock? Good news: We’ll teach you simple techniques that will ease those first-minute jitters and launch meaningful conversations with voters. In this lively, interactive 75-minute workshop (it flies by—we promise), you’ll learn how to kick off conversations with confidence, warmth, and maybe even a little humor. Whether you’re phone banking, canvassing, or making small talk in the cereal aisle, we’ll help you turn awkward openers into engaging dialogue. You’ll walk away with practical tools, fresh energy, and a stronger sense that you’re not doing this alone—because building skills is great, but building community is even better.

How can we stay open when a voter says something that makes our hackles rise? Listen without feeling we have to agree? And find “toeholds” that can help a stuck conversation move somewhere new? It’s tempting to jump in with facts, arguments, or the “perfect” response (which doesn’t exist) that will change their mind. But what if our job isn’t to change their mind? What becomes possible when we let go of that burden—and get curious instead? And what if a respectful conversation across our differences can counts as success, too?

Join Elizabeth Chur, author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers, and Bay Area Coalition co-founder Susan Bolle for an exploration of how to engage when the stakes are high and the differences are real. Through stories from the field and practical strategies, we’ll explore how patience, awareness, and empathy can help us navigate emotionally charged conversations without getting pulled into a power struggle. We’ll leave time to wrestle with your questions and real-life voter dilemmas—and to try out different approaches together.

We knock doors and phone bank because elections matter. But how we meet one another matters, too. At a time of profound division, meeting a fellow citizen with openness and respect can be a quietly radical act—and a way of practicing the democracy we’re working so hard to protect.

You’ve heard it at the door or on the phone: “Oh, I don’t vote.” Conversation over, right? Not so fast.

More than one in three eligible voters skipped the 2024 elections—and here’s the surprising thing: many actually agree with Democratic priorities. If even a small fraction vote in this year’s midterms, they can move our country in a more hopeful direction. In this interactive 75-minute workshop, Elizabeth Chur, author of The Joy of Talking Politics with Strangers, demonstrates how to use curiosity and empathy to engage with “high-potential” voters — those who rarely or never vote. These fellow Americans are often just waiting for someone to listen without judgment. Whether you’re a seasoned canvasser or phone banker or a brand-new volunteer, this workshop will give you strategies for transforming “I don’t vote” into “I’ll vote, and bring my whole family to the polls, too!”