Running Successful Running Successful Local Ballot Campaigns - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Running Successful Running Successful Local Ballot Campaigns Michigan Municipal League March 25 2011 March 25, 2011 1

>>About Me<< Partner, Martin Waymire Advocacy Communications � Former Free Press and Detroit News reporter � 20 years in public policy communications � Worked on a dozen or so ballot proposal campaigns � Statewide Proposal 1 of 2004 (won) p ( ) � Statewide Proposal 1 of 2002 (lost) � Huron County Road Millage 1995 (won) � Statewide Proposal C of 1994 (won) � Statewide Proposal C of 1994 (won) � Statewide Proposal D of 1992 (won) 2

>>Mason Public Schools<< O 1995 O First millage O First millage approval since President Richard Nixon in office Ni i ffi O Silver Anvil (the PR fi ld’ field’s most t Alaiedon Elementary School prestigious honor) 3

>>All the pieces<< � Plan (What is your policy goal/solution?) � Coalition (Who will work to pass it? Oppose it?) � Finances (Budget? How will you fund the campaign?) � Research (Can it pass?) R h (C it ?) � Messages/messengers (What and who wins votes?) � Accessing the ballot … how will your question get on the ballot? � Coalition and Organization (Who runs/staffs the � C liti d O i ti (Wh / t ff th campaign?) � Earned Media/PR � Paid Media � Direct voter contact/GOTV efforts � Direct voter contact/GOTV efforts � Events � Inside Tips 4

>>Planning<< O Design and develop O Design and develop O Determine O Form and name O Form and name O Campaign staff 5

Plan: Design and Develop O Define and set your policy goal (what solves the problem?) O Define objectives to meet the goal (what strategies and tactics must be executed to win?) O Develop detailed timelines/calendar (make sure you know legal deadlines; when community events deadlines; when community events are being held; when you need funds) 6

Plan: Determine O Budget and possible funding sources (yes O Budget and possible funding sources (yes votes = more costs and more effort!) O Earned, paid and social media tactics O Research needs and how to meet them (quantitative and qualitative; precinct turnout history; active community groups; churches) history; active community groups; churches) O GOTV strategy and tactics O Legal strategy (election attorney), including writing the question O ID key supporters and opponents 7

Plan: Form and Name Plan: Form and Name Form & Name Coalition/Organization Form & Name Coalition/Organization O Form ballot campaign committee, steering committee and specialty committees (must form campaign committee within 10 days of receiving/spending $500) O Committees would be PR/Media, GOTV, Fundraising, Community Organizing O Recruit supporters (business leaders, neighborhood associations, key local leaders) eade s) 8

Plan: Campaign ‘staff’ Campaign “staff”: O Manager O Research O Research O Earned media O Paid media O GOTV GOTV O Community Organizing O Volunteers! Especially important in local ballot campaigns (will cover later when we discuss the organization) 9

You’ve come together. How to stay together. O Plan the work O Work the plan W k th l O Revise constantly 10

>>Finances/Budget<< Possible/likely costs: � Design, printing, mailing of collateral materials/lit pieces � Buying voter lists � Website � Facebook, Twitter, blogger administrators � Paid media (radio newspaper TV web billboards) � Paid media (radio, newspaper, TV, web, billboards) � Lawyer, accountant � Fund-raising event(s) (coffees, dinners) � Research/poll � Research/poll � GOTV activities (buses, cabs, phone bank to call voters election day) � Possible challenge/recount � Signature collection (if necessary) � Signature collection (if necessary) 11

12 O On-the-Record O On-the-Record O Quantitative O Quantitative O Qualitative >>Research<<

Research: Quantitative Q Quantitative, Qualitative, On-the-Record tit ti Q lit ti O th R d Quantitative = Voter Survey y (400-600 sample) O Measure level of support, opposition pp , pp O Determine best messages for and against O Determine best message senders for and against O Determine your most likely “yes” voters D t i t lik l “ ” t O Test question language O Can this thing even pass? O Can this thing even pass? 13

Research: Survey Says Getting the Survey Done (Two Options): O Buy list of high-performance voters O Have a pro develop the questionnaire (search community, community colleges, university) O Phone bank location (local business) O Phone bank location (local business) O Volunteers (train them to do calls; 5-7 nights) O Develop caller packets O Need someone to crunch the data O Need someone to analyze the data 14

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There is an alternative O Press the “easy” button O Hire a professional firm 16

Research: Qualitative Qualitative = Focus group(s) O Test messages and messengers from T t d f quantitative research, or vice versa O Test validity of opposition messages O Test effectiveness of your ads/literature T t ff ti f d /lit t pieces 17

Research: On-the-Record On-the-Record Research � Turnout history and results by precinct (where are most votes; where are most “yes” votes; where are the problem areas) � When will absentee ballots go out? � Deadlines: to get wording to clerks for ballot; to get petitions to clerks; for council to pass resolution putting proposal on ; p p g p p ballot � List of neighborhood organizations � Community calendar of events � Community calendar of events � List of churches 18

Research: Opposition O Opposition Research O Who are the opponents and what will they do? O Did they file a committee, are they legal? O How much funding will they have? O Their messages? Th i ? O Their strategies and tactics? O Can you get a mole on the inside? y g 19

>>Access and message<< O Accessing the ballot O Accessing the ballot O Messengers O Messages O Messages 20

Accessing the ballot O Various state statutes -- 150 or so -- specify what issues may qualify for local ballots (consult an attorney) O Action of school board, county commission city/village council commission, city/village council O Signature requirements vary by statute (“County-Local Proposal Petition” sample available at state Bureau of Elections) 21

Messages and messengers O What are your best messages (per research)? research)? O Who are your best messengers (per research)? O What are your opponents’ best messages and messengers (per research)? O Do different messages and messengers O Do different messages and messengers work better with different audiences (senior voters, for example)? 22

23 >>Coalition-Building<< O Grass-tops O Grass-tops O Diversity O Roles O Roles

B ild Build a coalition and liti d organization organization � The more community grass-tops support you have the better your chances � Broad and diverse (business, labor, government, community leaders, teachers, coaches pastors public safety seniors coaches, pastors, public safety, seniors, minority representation, etc.) � Recruit volunteers who have campaign � Recruit volunteers who have campaign expertise … research, PR/media, legal, accounting, web and social media, graphic designers, printers, etc. 24

Coalition and Organization O All bring something O Name O Money O Cachet O Cachet O Practical, applicable campaign skills and experience O Make sure all welcome and informed 25

Coalition and Organization Coalition and Organization Steering committee committee Committees Committees Legal, Fund- accountant raising Campaign manager PR/earned and paid Community media organizing GOTV Research 26

Coalition and Organization Divvy up the duties by committee/key Divvy up the duties by committee/key function O Chair, GOTV Committee (in charge of GOTV efforts) O Chair, Fund-raising Committee O Chair PR/Communications (earned and paid O Chair, PR/Communications (earned and paid media, literature development) O Chair, Community Organizing (events, lit drops, direct contacts with voters) direct contacts with voters) O Legal, accounting 27

28 O Earned media/PR O Earned media/PR O Social media O Social media O Paid media >>Media<<

Earned media/PR � Develop messages & talking points from the research D l & t lki i t f th h � Hold kickoff news conference � Get press to various events (voters must see and feel the pain and the problem) i d th bl ) � Meet with editorial board/publisher � Hold a debate with opponents � Seek third party endorsements S k thi d t d t � Get on TV news � Op/eds, letters to the editor 29

Paid media O Advertising: Based on research, using best g g messages and messengers possible O Direct mail -- 3 at least: one general educational to all voters absentee voter mailing a GOTV mailing within voters, absentee voter mailing, a GOTV mailing within a week of election day) O Billboards O Web O Possibly radio and TV (expensive hard to target) (expensive, hard to target) O Yard signs 30

Social media/web Develop social media strategies O Facebook O Blogs Bl O Twitter O YouTube and Flickr (videos and photos to show O YouTube and Flickr (videos and photos to show the pain/demonstrate the problem) 31

32 O Get Out the Vote O Get Out the Vote >>GOTV!<< O Events