Campaign 101: What We Need From You, Part 2

Posted on January 20, 2011 by EWillers in Articles

Campaign 101 is a multi-part series here on The Graph in which I’ll attempt to give you the tools and information you need to work with campaigns.

In the first part of the series, I went over the volunteer aspect of campaigning.  Today I’d like to briefly cover another important aspect of the campaign process, which is getting people out to vote.  Or as I like to call it, the “second B”, ballots.  After all, what good is identifying them if you don’t get them to the polls?

This part of the process really has two stages, Early Voting and Election Day.  With Early Voting, you want to make sure the people you are calling for your “get out the vote” calls are getting the most accurate information possible.  Be sure to double-check with your election commission things like dates, times, places, etc. and make sure that is communicated to your volunteers.  Also, have volunteers take contact information for folks who want to early vote but have transportation issues so someone can give them a ride to the polls.

During the Early Voting process, most if not all states allow access to their records so campaigns can find out who has voted already.  The best way to ensure that volunteer callers are not wasting valuable time calling people who have already voted is to get phone lists from the campaign that are updated as frequently as possible.  Once again, this is a good indicator of the kind of campaign you are working with, because any campaign worth it’s salt will be updating these lists every day.

Once early voting ends, start gearing up for Election Day.  Make lists of people who need rides and rent a van or two to get people to the polls.  Spend the last 3-4 days before the election calling (really I mean harassing) voters to get to the polls and cast their ballot.

Do not allow all your hard work getting the word out about your candidate to go to waste by taking any votes for granted.  Get people motivated and talk their ear off until they go vote.

Feel like sparring with Eddie?  Catch him on Twitter at twitter.com/ewillers or by email at ewillers.thegraph@gmail.com.

Campaign 101: What We Need From You, Part 1

Posted on January 11, 2011 by EWillers in Articles

Campaign 101 is a multi-part series here on The Graph in which I’ll attempt to give you the tools and information you need to work with campaigns.

A lot of what I do as a political hack is dealing with the the general public.  Some of it is fundraising-related, but most of it is of the voter contact and volunteer coordination variety.  I also spend a lot of time talking to various groups about my candidate(s).  Inevitably, the question I always get is this: “what do you need from us?”.

The answer when you boil it down is pretty simple.  Remember how school had the “3 r’s”?  Well, campaigns have the “3 B’s”: Butts, Ballots and Bucks.  Today I want to cover the “Butts” part.

By “Butts”, I am of course referring to volunteers.  In any campaign, especially state-wide and lower, the cheapest way to get your message out to voters is through door to door and phone bank efforts.  Volunteers are not only cheap, they’re a way to jump-start interest in a candidate, as well as make your candidate seem like a real member of the community by having someone’s neighbor knock on their door or give them a call.

The first thing folks need to get out of their heads is the idea that volunteering means anything other than grunt work.  I have met a lot of well-meaning (for the most part) people who seem to think that becoming a volunteer, especially if they lead this group or that group, automatically entitles them to become an unofficial adviser.  It doesn’t.  I’ve got access to voter records and pollsters.  I’m aware of the issues that will and won’t make a difference in the race.  Outside of the grunt work, the only real help you can be is if you know groups of people you can get my candidate in front of who are potential votes for him/her or who can put money in the bank account.

Aside from money, information is the lifeblood of my job.  Without it, I’m helpless.  One of the main goals behind door knocking and phone banking is to gather information such as candidate support and overall political leanings.  This helps me determine what areas need targeting, which ones to write off and how to run my “Get Out The Vote” program.  If you’re volunteering for any campaign worth it’s salt, you’ll be given a script and a list of phone numbers or addresses.  Follow them!  They can make a difference later on.

As an example, let’s say you just call or knock and ask if the person supports your candidate.  If they say they’re undecided and there is no follow up or screening question, you haven’t done your candidate any good.  But if you ask a screening or follow-up question about, say, abortion and the person says they’re pro-life and your candidate is really strong on that issue, then not only can you follow-up with that, but you also have information you can use for mail, later phone calls, etc.

Another important part of the information gathering process is that I need that information back when you’re done.  While this should go without saying, you’d be surprised at how many people lose data sheets or never bother to bring them back!

So with the ground rules out of the way, here are a few quick tips on volunteering:

• If you say you’re going to volunteer, show up for your shift.  If you have to cancel, let the campaign know.
• Encourage friends and family to join in with you.  More people means the work is over faster, plus working as a group can be a lot of fun.
• Skip the Tea Party meetings for the last month and a half before the election.  If you run one of these groups, cancel the meetings and encourage your people to spend the meeting time volunteering for candidates.  At that point in the process, the time for talking is over.

Up next we’ll take a look at the second B: Ballots.

Feel like sparring with Eddie?  Catch him on Twitter at twitter.com/ewillers or by email at ewillers.thegraph@gmail.com.