Walk list setup

A walk list is the ordered set of addresses one canvasser visits during a session, scoped to a single territory. Only one canvasser can hold a walk list at a time. For an overview of territories and sessions, see Canvassing.

Generating a walk list

Open Canvassing, select Walk Lists, then Generate walk list. Pick a source territory. The system pulls every address within that territory's boundary and runs a nearest-neighbor route algorithm over them, producing a numbered sequence that minimizes walking distance.

Name the list, optionally attach a script, and set a scheduled date. The list starts in Draft and advances to Ready once entries are created. You can cap the entry count and filter by a contact segment to target a subset of addresses.

Importing voter-file data

Load addresses from a voter file or external list via the Import Voters dialog on the walk list detail page. Upload a CSV, map its columns to OrganizeOS fields (required: voter identifier and primary address; optional: name, city, state, zip code, phone, email, party affiliation), preview the records, then import. Each row becomes a walk list entry. The importer matches against existing CRM contacts on email, then on address and name, creating a new contact if none is found.

Imported voter data is stored per address entry and visible to the canvasser. If your plan includes a voter-file quota, the import warns before a batch would exceed it.

Assigning a walk list

On the Walk Lists page, open a row's menu and choose Assign, or tick several lists and choose Assign in the bar that appears. You can hand out up to 100 lists at once. Pick a person, add an optional note (up to 500 characters) for the person who had the list before, and confirm.

• A confirmation step comes first if someone is working the list right now, or it was worked in the last seven days. The dialog says who and when; choose Assign anyway to go ahead.
• Each person gets one notification, however many lists they were handed. The notification opens their walk lists, and on the phone the list appears within moments. Whoever had a list before is told it was reassigned or unassigned, and your note goes to them.
• Unassign is a choice in the same dialog (No one (unassign)). It works on a list in any status, and it frees the list if it was checked out.
• Only Ready and In Progress lists can be assigned. The dialog tells you how many of the lists you selected were left out and why. A Draft list has to be made Ready first: select it on the Walk Lists page and choose Mark ready. A draft with no addresses stays Draft until you import voters or add addresses.
• Who can assign: people with the Assign walk lists to canvassers permission (owners and admins always have it). The person you pick has to be an active member of your organization. The list's own page also has an Assign button (Reassign when someone already has it).

Checkout, ownership, and statuses

Starting a session claims the walk list. While checked out, the Walk Lists page and the list's page show who holds it and for how long. The canvasser starts a session from the volunteer page or on the phone, not from this page.

Ending the session frees the list at once, and so does the holder choosing Release on the list's page. A checkout that is left behind (a phone that went dead mid-shift) is freed automatically after four hours; a scheduled job checks every 15 minutes. People with the Assign walk lists to canvassers permission can Force release a checkout held by someone else; the displaced canvasser is notified.

The detail page shows a breakdown of entries by attempt status, a progress bar, and a contact rate.

Why this matters

Walk lists turn a territory into a structured, accountable workflow. When each address is sequenced and owned by a single canvasser, you eliminate duplicate contacts, reduce volunteer confusion, and get an accurate picture of coverage as sessions complete. Assigning lists through OrganizeOS also ties every door knocked back to your CRM, so the data you collect in the field shows up immediately on contact records. Over time, that connection between field activity and your contact database makes follow-up and re-engagement significantly more effective.