Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D-I-Y’ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week, we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide.
We’ve spent a lot of time following what our fictional candidate, Jessica Jones, should be doing in order to win her race for a state Senate candidate. We’ve also covered the importance and plan for county and state parties looking to help Jessica win. While pollsters and online news media focus on November 8—election day—for the Jones campaign, election day is almost upon them. Early voting in some states has started to get underway. Voters who file and vote via advanced or absentee ballot may start receiving their ballots soon.
With voting getting underway, Jessica Jones needs to start looking at how to make sure she brings her vote in. It’s time to look at a Get Out The Vote effort.
Before We Begin
Get out the vote efforts don’t start with a last minute scramble at the end of September. Your county and state party have likely been working on a get out the vote effort (GOTV) and started their work on making sure it was well organized in July. The voters Jessica Jones needs to turn out are the same voters that the state House race under her needs to get to the polls, and the same voters a US House, US Senate, and presidential campaign need to get to the polls.
Organizing your GOTV effort with your county and state organization help make sure you aren’t duplicating work or confusing voters.
Preparing a Budget for GOTV
Like everything in a campaign, a GOTV will have a cost. Because many campaigns and county organizations are going to want to chip into these efforts, campaigns can contribute funds—either soft or hard money and volunteers or paid staff.
Campaigns need to make sure that they contribute and actively participate in a GOTV effort in order to make sure their district and key precincts receive the push they need to get out and vote.
Early Voting Efforts & Ballot Chase
States which offer advanced ballot or absentee ballot, as well as states that provide any form of voting by mail provide easy ways for campaigns and parties to keep track of who has and who has not yet voted. Part of the get out the vote effort is to make sure that your campaigns are actively chasing live ballots, which means making sure those who have decided to vote early in person or by mail, get their vote counted.
Campaigns often falter by working to get people to sign up for advanced or absentee ballot and then not following up to make sure those voters turn in their ballot. Realize, failure to chase a ballot taken by one of your voters is an easy way to strip your campaign of votes, one ballot at a time.
Monitoring early ballot adopters and early voters lets you check and monitor your lists in vote builder, PDI or your own system by making sure you stop contacting those voters who have cast their ballot.
This is a firm reward for people who vote early, and a great way to save your campaign money.
Building a Plan for In-Person Voting and Turnout
Several states do not provide for early voting options, or their early voting options are based around voting in person at a county office. All get out the vote efforts must include these components:
- Build a “cheat sheet" with the locations of all polling places that can be easily provided to voters. Being able to look up a polling place in vote builder is great, but don't count on people hand-writing notes to every voter who asks. Have it printed and readily available in your office and with your staff.
- County wide offices should have an email address and phone number where a campaign can be reached in case a voter has a question specific to that campaign.
- Campaign win numbers. Staff in a GOTV office should be aware of the turnout they need in order to net a win.
- Organize and have a transportation plan to help voters get to the polls. Making sure that you have a plan to transport voters to the polls can be the difference between votes coming in and voters staying home.
- Food. Many of your GOTV efforts will involve volunteers. Feed them and treat them well, they will remember it and be more willing to continue working as a volunteer in future cycles.
Eyes on the Prize
The moment the ballot box opens, whether it is September 23 like Vermont or election day only like Missouri, your campaign must start to focus on making sure voters actually vote. The voter who took a yard sign but doesn’t show up to cast a ballot? That provides you no help at all in your attempt to win office.
Follow up efforts based on touches, whether it is a phone call or a door knock are important to make sure you bring in the votes you need to win.
Campaign mail, strong canvassing and voter outreach are all in the end focused on making sure that voters vote. It is your GOTV effort that helps make sure your votes come in and do vote on your behalf.
Final Thoughts
Your get out the vote efforts are critical to your success. Well organized efforts to make sure your vote gets to the polls and that your campaign spends resources well. For states that provide any form of early voting, great GOTV efforts can help save your campaign money by allowing you to trim your targets and efforts. Fantastic GOTV efforts don’t just turn out votes and get you a win, they help build infrastructure for races going forward.
Election day may be November 8, but whatever day your voter decides to vote on is election day for them. And building up numerous strong days of early voting or a strong organization of same day voting can be the difference between a close win and a loss.
Next Week on Nuts & Bolts: Last Minute Expenditures
Nuts & Bolts: Building Democratic Campaigns
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Every Saturday this group will chronicle the ins and outs of campaigns, small and large. Issues to be covered: Campaign Staffing, Fundraising, Canvass, Field Work, Data Services, Earned Media, Spending and Budget Practices, How to Keep Your Mental Health, and on the last Saturday of the month: “Don’t Do This!” a diary on how you can learn from the mistakes of campaigns in the past.
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