Welcome to RidingDesk
Congratulations on deciding to run for office! Whether you're running for city council, provincial legislature, or federal parliament, RidingDesk is designed to help you organize, mobilize, and win.
Step 1: Create Your Account
- Start by signing up at ridingdesk.ca/signup. You'll need:
- Your full name and email address
- Your campaign name (e.g., "Jane Doe for Ottawa Centre")
- Your riding or electoral district
- The level of government (federal, provincial, or municipal)
Step 2: Set Up Your Campaign Profile
- Once you're in, head to Settings to complete your campaign profile:
- Candidate name and party: This appears on all public-facing pages
- Election date: Helps us countdown and plan milestones
- Spending and contribution limits: We'll track these automatically
- Campaign language: English, French, or both
Step 3: Import Your Voter List
- The voter list is the foundation of your campaign. You can:
- Import from CSV: Upload a CSV file from Elections Canada or your provincial election authority
- Manual entry: Add voters one at a time through the dashboard
- Map your data: Our import wizard maps your CSV columns to our fields
Step 4: Invite Your Team
- No campaign is a one-person operation. Invite your team members and assign roles:
- Campaign Manager: Full access to everything
- Field Director: Manages canvassing, volunteers, and lawn signs
- Communications Lead: Manages campaigns (email/SMS) and landing pages
- Data Analyst: Accesses analytics, voter data, and reports
- Volunteer: Can access canvassing and their assigned tasks
- Observer: Read-only access for election day poll monitoring
Step 5: Start Canvassing
- With your voter list loaded and team invited, you're ready to hit the doors:
- Create walk lists by geographic area or poll
- Assign lists to volunteers
- Volunteers use the mobile app to record voter interactions
- Data syncs back to your dashboard in real time
Next Steps
- Set up your first email campaign to announce your candidacy
- Create a donation page for online fundraising
- Review the compliance checklist for your election level