PvdA talks to 50,000 Amsterdammers

Hundreds of PvdA volunteers are asking Amsterdammers in the districts tfor their opinion and calling on them to vote. Tomorrow, they hope to cross the 50,000 threshold. Volunteer coordinator Rik Winsemius calls it ‘the largest street campaign Amsterdam has ever seen’.

“We’re not going to preach the PvdA gospel,” Winsemius says. “We’re asking three short questions to know how they feel about their neighbourhood. And we say that it’s important to vote.” The collected information is analysed. Subsequently, a flyer is distributed in the neighbourhood reporting the findings and explaining how the PvdA is going to follow up on them.

At first, volunteers were hesitant to simply ring at people’s doorbells, but responses are often positive. “If you address people on the street they always have something to do, but if you approach them at home, they’ll have more time. Actually, they expect you to do this. It gives them a nostalgic feeling, the last time something like this happened was in the 1970s.”

“Yesterday, we were in Westerpark. At the flats with entrance halls, not every door will be opened, but still some sixty percent. Even through the intercom people let you in.” The campaign focuses on neighbourhoods with low turnout and on people who do not always turn out to vote, but who are loyal to the PvdA.

In cities like Rotterdam and The Hague, the PvdA is also canvassing, sometimes inspired by Obama’s campaign. Other parties are also adopting the approach. However, according to Winsemius, no one is doing it at this scale. “We’re implementing the method in other cities, but in Amsterdam we’ve been doing this for a much longer time. And other parties? We sometimes meet the SP at markets, but that’s it. And they’ll have just a few volunteers, whereas we have dozens.”

Key to the success, according to Winsemius, is the businesslike way in which the volunteers are treated. “You have to take them seriously. You make them responsible for a job. If it doesn’t work out I want to hear about it, and if I hear nothing I expect that it’s been done. People are enthusiastic, and as a result, more and more volunteers join in.” By now, 60 to 100 volunteers are involved on weekdays, and 150 to 200 on Saturdays.

So far, PvdA volunteers have met almost one in ten eligible voters. One has to be realistic as to the impact on the election outcome, Winsemius says. “The outcome will be decided largely by the national picture and in addition some of it will be influenced by [local party leader] Asscher. But there’s also a certain percentage that you can influence by meeting people face-to-face.”