Digital Organizing for Town Halls: A Step-by-Step Guide
Plan, staff, run, and follow up on a county town hall using real organizing tools. Six 20-minute modules. Georgia redistricting and the post-Callais v. Landry landscape as the running case study.
MdR Palacios
Maria del Rosario Palacios is an author, data engineer, policy expert, and civic technology builder with more than 12 years of multilingual data and community work. Rosario previously served as Training Manager at Generation Data, where she launched the first Spanish-language Intro to Progressive Data course and taught data visualization, WhatsApp outreach, and community data practice to organizers across the South. MdR has published three books, including Project Management for Xingones. She has been a 10-year certified train-the-trainer instructor with UGA's Fanning Institute for Leadership. Her organizing work has spanned town hall design, county captain networks, accountability scorecards, and civic infrastructure for movement organizations across Georgia.
County organizing infrastructure
Designs the captain networks, run-of-show systems, and accountability records that turn one event into a campaign step.
Civic data & accountability
Builds reusable scorecards, voter file pipelines, and documentation frameworks that survive challenge.
Post-Callais Georgia
Coordinated county town hall planning across the 47 Georgia counties split by the 2026 redistricting map.
Datos Lab
Runs the captain network and the post-event documentation loop that feeds legal, legislative, and electoral work.
What you will do
You will play the role of a county organizer planning a town hall in a post-Callais v. Landry Georgia county. The course centers on a single throughline: building, running, and following through on one county-level event end to end.
Choose a theory of change
Decide between direct pressure, public accountability, and narrative shift — and write down what success looks like.
Plan eight weeks backward
Lock the venue, name the five roles, set realistic outreach ratios, and build a run-of-show that survives the day.
Build the captain network
Map county coverage, run the recruitment conversation, and track a five-status pipeline.
Capture and document
Build a sourced accountability scorecard and run the 48-hour commitment-capture loop.
Modules in this course
Six 20-minute modules. Each ends with a downloadable working template you can use in your next event.
Why Town Halls Work: Theory of Change
Theory of change is the through-line that turns a problem into a winnable strategy. In this module you will name the problem, the root cause, the tactic, and the outcome — and decide why a town hall is the right tool.
Begin Module 1 MODULE 2 · 20 MINPlanning the Event: The County Town Hall Playbook
Eight weeks. Five roles. One venue checklist. This module walks the planning timeline backwards from the event date so nothing is missed.
Begin Module 2 MODULE 3 · 20 MINBuilding Your Team: County Captain Recruitment
A town hall is one event. A county captain network is the infrastructure that turns events into a campaign. This module covers the job, the map, the ask, and the pipeline.
Begin Module 3 MODULE 4 · 20 MINHolding Officials Accountable: The Scorecard
An accountability scorecard turns scattered impressions into a public, comparable record. This module covers what goes on the card, how to research it, and how to present it.
Begin Module 4 MODULE 5 · 20 MINRunning the Event: Day-of Execution
Day-of is execution. This module covers the run-of-show, facilitation skills, the AV checklist, and how to capture commitments while they are still on camera.
Begin Module 5 MODULE 6 · 20 MIN · FINALAfter the Town Hall: Follow-Through
Follow-through is where most town halls quietly fail. This module covers the 48-hour push, documentation, scorecard updates, and the next action.
Begin Module 6What you take home
Five working templates that fit together as a county town hall operating system. Each one unlocks when you complete its module.
| Template | Unlocked in | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Theory Selection Worksheet | Module 1 | Walks a planning team through the four theory-of-change links and the three model choices. |
| County Town Hall Playbook | Module 2 | The 8-week backward planning playbook with role grid and venue checklist. |
| County Captain Recruitment Tracker | Module 3 | Spreadsheet with the five-status pipeline, follow-up cadence, and quarterly audit. |
| Legislator Accountability Scorecard | Module 4 | One-page sourced scorecard layout for a Georgia legislator. |
| Town Hall Run of Show | Module 5 | Timed 8-beat script with named owners and the commitment-capture sheet. |
How the course works
| Design choice | How it appears in this course |
|---|---|
| Real-world grounding | All examples use Georgia counties and the post-Callais v. Landry 2026 landscape. |
| Operational, not theoretical | Every module ends with a template you can copy and use the same week. |
| Adaptive feedback | Each checkpoint quiz explains both correct and incorrect answers. |
| Cognitive load reduction | One concept per page, one template per module. |
| Accessible to first-time organizers | No prior event-planning experience required. |
| Practical output | You leave with five working templates and a finished plan for one real event. |
Who this is for
- County captains and field organizers running their first town hall.
- Coalition staff coordinating events across multiple Georgia counties.
- Civic researchers translating data into organizing tools and accountability scorecards.
- Anyone working in a county split by the 2026 redistricting map.
Prerequisites: None. Comfort working with a spreadsheet is helpful but not required.