The Early Canvasser Gets the Vote

I get asked all the time: “Jarrek, why are you canvassing so early?”

Fair question. Our pilot canvasses began in July, and our first official canvass launched on October 11th… 2025. That’s more than a year before the general election. Most campaigns won’t start knocking doors until the last 90 days. Even fewer start before the primary (June 30th here in Colorado).

So why are we out there already? Because if we’re serious about flipping congressional districts and building lasting democratic power, we must start now!

Lasting Conversations

The most obvious reason is also the most powerful: talking to voters early means building relationships that last.

When we show up this far out, we’re often the first people a voter has talked to all cycle. Many are frustrated or discouraged. They are fed up with Trump, with politics, or with feeling unseen. We don’t rush them. We listen. We give them space to vent, reflect, and connect that emotion to their own power.

That’s the heart of deep canvassing: not persuasion for one election, but transformation over time. We’re not trying to convince someone to vote in 2026. We’re helping them see themselves as a voter. Someone who votes every election, every year. When that shift happens, it sticks. And when it sticks, our democracy gets stronger.

Building Momentum

Trust Brigade’s goal is 15,000 deep canvassing conversations by November 2026. That’s ambitious and it’s why we can’t afford to wait.

Starting early gives us time to train volunteers, refine our systems, and learn by doing.

Traditional field programs start 100 days out, scrambling to recruit, write scripts, cut turf, and pray for good weather. One rainout or one bad script can mean weeks of impact get lost.

We’re doing the opposite. We’re testing scripts now. Training captains now. Building community now. So when the surge of volunteers arrives next fall, we’ll be ready to scale without breaking stride.

Starting early means we can fail fast, adjust quickly, and finish strong. Which means ending the campaign with an exclamation point, not a question mark.

Beyond the Ballot

Here’s something that political insiders sometimes miss: not everything is about elections.

Yes, we’re here to win. But we’re also here to listen. When we knock on doors, we’re not just collecting data points. We’re hearing what keeps people up at night. We’re finding out what they love about their neighborhoods, what they want for their kids, and what they wish their leaders understood.

Those conversations build something bigger than votes. They build trust, ownership, and community. 

The Bottom Line

When we treat canvassing as year-round work, not just campaign-season hustle, we plant the seeds of long-term change. We shift habits, not just choices. We build momentum that sustains itself. And we show people that democracy isn’t something that happens to them, it’s something that we build together.

We’re not waiting for the political calendar to tell us when people matter. We’re showing up now, listening deeply, and organizing for the long haul.