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How to Export and Reuse Custom Areas

Custom Areas allow you to define your own geographic boundaries and use them across your campaign—whether you’re building voter groups or creating canvassing routes.


Creating Custom Areas

Custom Areas are created when building a voter group:

  1. Go to create a Voter Group

  2. Use the Custom Area filter

  3. Draw and define your area on the map

  4. Save the voter group

Once created, that Custom Area is saved to your account and can be reused in other parts of the platform.

Use the Custom Areas filter to draw a custom area.
In the pop-up window, draw your custom area.

Managing Custom Areas (Create, Import, Export)

To manage your Custom Areas:

  1. Go to Your Account

  2. Select Custom Areas

From here, you’ll see three options:

  • Create → Draw a new Custom Area on the map and give it a name

  • Import → Upload an existing area file from your computer (a file picker will open)

  • Export All → Download all saved Custom Areas

Create, import, and export custom areas from the 'Custom Areas' option under 'Your Account'

Using Custom Areas in a Canvass

You can use Custom Areas when creating or editing a canvass:

When creating a canvass

  1. Create a new canvass

  2. Select Manual Routes

  3. Choose your saved Custom Areas

After a canvass has been created

  1. Open the canvass

  2. Click Edit Routes

  3. Select the Custom Areas option

  4. Apply your saved areas

This allows you to divide your canvass using boundaries you’ve already defined.

After creating a canvass, click 'Edit Routes' to get to the 'Custom Areas' option
Once in the route editor, select 'Add from Custom Areas'
In the pop-up, select the custom area you'd like to use in your canvass

Editing Custom Areas

You can update Custom Areas at any time:

  1. Go to Your Account → Custom Areas

  2. Select the area you’d like to edit

  3. Adjust the boundaries

  4. Save your changes


Important Notes

  • Custom Areas are saved, reusable, and exportable

  • Routes created or edited directly within a canvass are temporary and not saved as Custom Areas

  • To reuse or export routes, they must be created as Custom Areas


Best Practice

If you plan to reuse geographic boundaries across voter groups or canvasses, create them as Custom Areas first so they can be easily applied and managed later.

By Parley·Published 4/10/2026·Updated 8/27/2026

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How to Export and Reuse Custom Areas - Vottiv Help Center