Ding dong drama: Video doorbells have UK election campaigners spooked

LONDON — For decades, political campaigners have feared just three things: big dogs, blisters and bad weather.

But with the explosion of video doorbell usage over the last few years, a new hi-tech threat has emerged for those pounding the pavements in pursuit of votes.

Campaigners knocking on doors ahead of the British general election on July 4 have learned to watch their Ps and Qs, even before they come face to face with potential voters.

In Kingston and Surbiton, two Conservative canvassers were recorded chatting as they approached the door of local resident Aaron Thakar.

The video, seen by POLITICO, appears to show one canvasser telling the other: “There is a lot more immigrants on this street than the one we just saw, and they don’t reveal anything,” an apparent reference to residents’ unwillingness to divulge their voting intentions.

“If they come from India they sort of keep it close to their chest.”

It’s the kind of conversation that, until recently, would have remained private, and speaking to POLITICO, Thakar admits he stumbled upon the archived video four days after the event. Nonetheless, he said the canvassers’ “generalizations” had left him frustrated.

Watch what you say

“As a British Indian myself, to hear them specifically single out Indians was really quite disturbing,” he said.

The 21-year-old said that while the comments hadn’t changed his opinion about the Conservative Party, they had reinforced his hesitation about properly engaging in politics.

“I guess it’s not particularly surprising but it really did anger me,” he added.

“I was born in Kingston Hospital. This is an assumption, but if they saw me on the street, based on that video, they’d assume I’m an immigrant, which just felt a bit uncomfortable for me.”

Campaigners knocking on doors ahead of the British general election on July 4 have learned to watch their Ps and Qs. | Oli Scarff/Getty Images

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party told POLITICO they were “looking into this matter.”

Smile, you’re on camera!

Whatever the explanation for the canvassers’ apparently crass language, it’s clear the Kingston interaction is only one of a series of incidents which has campaigners of all political stripes spooked.

Equipped with high-powered microphones and motion sensors, the devices are cable of capturing banter between canvassers or their thoughts about an interaction even several feet from the threshold.

Starting out as a prototype in 2013, advances in tech have driven exponential growth in adoption rates. According to one study, global sales rose by 63 percent between 2020 and 2021 alone.

Seen as a relatively novel experience in 2019, the last time Britain went to the polls, the surge has campaigners describing 2024 as the U.K.’s first Ring doorbell election.

In an attempt to navigate the minefield, campaign bosses have repeatedly told ground troops to assume every exchange on the doorstep could be caught on candid camera.

Some local parties have even banned canvassers from leaving recorded messages if the tech offers that option.

Changing digital dynamic

“Personally, I find it scary how I’m being recorded and what I say can easily be posted online,” said Anne Mirkovic, a public affairs professional who has been volunteering for the Labour Party.

“I feel more restricted in communications … We had a young canvasser out with us on Sunday and it was the first thing I briefed her on.”

“The key change is that you don’t want to be debriefing … within earshot,” said Adam Isaacs, global public affairs manager at Too Good To Go. “[There needs to be] a bit more caution in how you relay the information, particularly around the stranger interactions.”

The risk of a throwaway comment causing offense or going viral is not the only concern, with canvassers saying the new tech has disrupted the traditional dynamics of voter engagement. The capacity for residents to answer their ring doorbell remotely throws in an added layer of complication.

“It’s bridging the gap between phone banking and door knocking, and not in a good way,” said Casey Calista, chair of the Labour Digital campaign group.

“No one wants to talk when they are out and about … and it’s weirder than a phone call because when will it cut you off? It’s hurried and confusing.”

Signing up to vote from a sun bed

Those are frustrations are shared across the political spectrum, but activists concede they have no option but to adapt to the new doorstep dynamic.

One veteran Labour campaigner, granted anonymity to discuss their experience, said while they felt the tech had reduced the likelihood of face-to-face interactions, there are occasional benefits.

“I was out door knocking when someone called on a voter who was on holiday in Spain,” they said. “They proceeded to walk them through the Voter ID process while they were on a sun bed” — all via a Ring doorbell.

In an era of growing voter disenchantment with politics, many activists say the new digital technology has, however, contributed to a rise in abuse.

The same Labour activist said while they were speaking to an elderly voter at their door, the voter’s son, who didn’t live in the house but had the doorbell app on their phone, began screaming at them to leave.

The surge has campaigners describing 2024 as the U.K.’s first Ring doorbell election. | Jeff Overs/BBC via Getty Images

“The voter I was speaking to was keen to keep chatting, but it did become difficult to carry on the conversation while being shouted at via a tinny speaker,” they added.

Meanwhile, one Conservative activist, also granted anonymity to speak freely about the situation, told POLITICO of their fears that volunteer numbers could “plummet” due to “unprecedented” levels of abuse.

“One of our volunteers is an exceptionally sweet lady in her 70s, but on more than one occasion she has been sworn at through these things. One person was so vile and aggressive she was left in tears,” they said.

“Granted, we may not be the most popular people currently, but she’s been doing this for decades, through all our highs and lows. She’s got a thick skin, but she was really shaken up.”

They added: “It’s just like social media. Decent people are emboldened to say things from behind a screen they’d never consider saying in person.”