Frequently asked questions
About the platform
What is Motion51?
Motion51 is a canvassing platform for Florida political campaigns. It manages turfs, volunteers, voter contacts, and reports.
Who built it?
Motion51 is a Florida-focused political tech project. Contact your Motion51 staff member for details.
About voter data
Where does the voter file come from?
Voter records come directly from the official voter file distributed by Florida county Supervisors of Elections. Motion51 imports the official files, geocodes them so they can be mapped, and updates them periodically.
How recent is the data?
Each county's voter file is dated. Open the Coverage page to see the load date and record count for every county currently in Motion51.
What if a voter has moved?
Voters who appear at a stale address can be marked as "Moved" during a knock. The response is logged on their record and reflected in your reports.
About volunteers
Can a volunteer work for multiple campaigns?
Yes. A volunteer account can be linked to more than one campaign. Each campaign only sees that volunteer's activity within its own scope.
How do I reset a volunteer's PIN?
PIN resets currently require Motion51 staff assistance. Use the Report button to request a reset; staff will issue a new PIN and you can share it with the volunteer out of band.
What happens to a volunteer's knocks if I remove them?
Their knocks remain in your reports. Only their forward-going access to the campaign is removed.
About turfs
Can I import a turf instead of drawing one?
This depends on the source file. Contact your Motion51 staff member if you have a shape file or coordinate list you want loaded.
Can two turfs overlap?
Yes, but it is not recommended. Overlapping turfs mean two volunteers could be assigned to the same voter.
What is the maximum turf size?
There is no hard maximum, but the route-planner currently optimizes up to 50 stops per route. For larger turfs, volunteers will see the unoptimized list past the first 50.
About the app
Does Motion51 work offline?
Yes. Volunteers can log knocks with no network connection. The knocks sync automatically when the network returns.
Does Motion51 work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. The app runs in any modern mobile browser. There is no separate iOS or Android app to install.
Can volunteers install Motion51 to their home screen?
Yes. Motion51 is a Progressive Web App. On both iOS and Android, volunteers can add the app to their home screen from the browser menu.