1. (n.) To sift; to strain; to examine thoroughly; to scrutinize; as, to canvass the votes cast at an election; to canvass a district with reference to its probable vote.

2. (n.) To examine by discussion; to debate.

3. (n.) To go trough, with personal solicitation or public addresses; as, to canvass a district for votes; to canvass a city for subscriptions.

4. (v. i.) To search thoroughly; to engage in solicitation by traversing a district; as, to canvass for subscriptions or for votes; to canvass for a book, a publisher, or in behalf of a charity; -- commonly followed by for.

5. (n.) Close inspection; careful review for verification; as, a canvass of votes.

6. (n.) Examination in the way of discussion or debate.

7. (n.) Search; exploration; solicitation; systematic effort to obtain votes, subscribers, etc.

Australian ballot Hare system address addresses agitate air all-out campaign analyze angle for argue assemblage assembly autopsy aye ballot bid for call-up campaign campaign button campaign commitments campaign contribution campaign fund canvassing case cast a ballot casting vote census check check out check over check up check up on collection colligation collocation combination comment upon comparison con concourse concurrence conduct a poll confluence conflux congregation consider consumer research consumer-preference survey controvert convergence corralling counting heads court courting cumulative voting data-gathering deal with debate deciding vote deliberate deliberate upon discept discourse about discuss dispute divide division drum electioneer enfranchisement examination examine exchange views fagot vote fish for franchise gathering give an examination go into go over grass-roots campaign graveyard vote hand vote handle hard-hitting campaign hurrah campaign ingathering inquiry inspect interview inventory investigate investigation junction juxtaposition knock around list system look at look for look over make a survey media campaign mobilization monitor moot muster nay no nontransferable vote observe opinion poll overhaul overlook pass over pass under review peer at peruse plebiscite plebiscitum plump plumper plural vote poll polling pop the question pore over postmortem preferential voting proportional representation proxy public-opinion poll question questionary questionnaire rap reason reason about reason the point record vote referendum representation review right to vote ring doorbells rising vote rodeo roundup run over sample say scan scrutinize secret ballot seek set an examination show of hands sift single vote size size up snap vote solicit solicit votes solicitation straw vote study stump stump excursion stump the country stumping tour sue sue for suffrage suit survey take stock of take the measure take the stump take up talk talk about talk of talk over tally thrash out thresh out transferable vote treat ventilate vet viva voce voice voice vote vote voting voting right whistle-stop whistle-stop campaign woo wooing write-in write-in vote yea yeas and nays yes