Running SuccessfulRunning Successful Local Ballot Campaigns · Running SuccessfulRunning Successful...

Running SuccessfulRunning Successful Local Ballot Campaigns

Michigan Municipal LeagueMarch 25 2011March 25, 2011

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>>About Me<<Partner, Martin Waymire Advocacy Communications

Former Free Press and Detroit News reporter20 years in public policy communicationsWorked 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)

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>>Mason Public Schools<<O 1995O First millageO First millage

approval since President Richard Ni i ffiNixon in office

O Silver Anvil (the PR fi ld’ tfield’s most prestigious honor)

Alaiedon Elementary School

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>>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?)R h (C it ?)Research (Can it pass?)Messages/messengers (What and who wins votes?)Accessing the ballot … how will your question get on the ballot?C liti d O i ti (Wh / t ff thCoalition and Organization (Who runs/staffs the campaign?)Earned Media/PRPaid MediaDirect voter contact/GOTV effortsDirect voter contact/GOTV effortsEventsInside Tips

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>>Planning<<

O Design and developO Design and developO DetermineO Form and nameO Form and nameO Campaign staff

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Plan: Design and DevelopO 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 eventsdeadlines; when community events are being held; when you need funds)

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Plan: DetermineO Budget and possible funding sources (yesO Budget and possible funding sources (yes

votes = more costs and more effort!)O Earned, paid and social media tacticsO 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 tacticsO Legal strategy (election attorney), including

writing the questionO ID key supporters and opponents

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Plan: Form and NamePlan: Form and NameForm & Name Coalition/OrganizationForm & 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)

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Plan: Campaign ‘staff’Campaign “staff”:

O ManagerO ResearchO ResearchO Earned mediaO Paid media

GOTVO GOTVO Community OrganizingO Volunteers!

Especially important in local ballot campaigns(will cover later when we discuss the organization)

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You’ve come together. How to stay together.

O Plan the workW k th lO Work the plan

O Revise constantly

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>>Finances/Budget<<Possible/likely costs:

Design, printing, mailing of collateral materials/lit piecesBuying voter listsWebsiteFacebook, Twitter, blogger administratorsPaid media (radio newspaper TV web billboards)Paid media (radio, newspaper, TV, web, billboards)Lawyer, accountantFund-raising event(s) (coffees, dinners)Research/pollResearch/pollGOTV activities (buses, cabs, phone bank to call voters election day)Possible challenge/recountSignature collection (if necessary)Signature collection (if necessary) 11

>>Research<<

O QuantitativeO QuantitativeO QualitativeO On-the-RecordO On-the-Record

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Research: Quantitative Q tit ti Q lit ti O th R dQuantitative, Qualitative, On-the-Record

Quantitative = Voter Survey y(400-600 sample)

O Measure level of support, oppositionpp , ppO Determine best messages for and againstO Determine best message senders for and against

D t i t lik l “ ” tO Determine your most likely “yes” votersO Test question languageO Can this thing even pass?O Can this thing even pass?

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Research: Survey SaysGetting the Survey Done (Two Options):

O Buy list of high-performance votersO 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 packetsO Need someone to crunch the dataO Need someone to analyze the data

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There is an alternativeO Press the “easy” buttonO Hire a professional firm

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Research: QualitativeQualitative = Focus group(s)

T t d fO Test messages and messengers from quantitative research, or vice versa

O Test validity of opposition messages

T t ff ti f d /lit tO Test effectiveness of your ads/literature pieces

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Research: On-the-RecordOn-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 pballotList of neighborhood organizationsCommunity calendar of eventsCommunity calendar of eventsList of churches

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Research: OppositionO 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?

Th i ?O Their messages?O Their strategies and tactics?O Can you get a mole on the inside?y g

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>>Access and message<<

O Accessing the ballotO Accessing the ballotO MessengersO MessagesO Messages

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Accessing the ballotO 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 councilcommission, city/village council

O Signature requirements vary by statute (“County-Local Proposal Petition” sample available at state Bureau of Elections)

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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 messengersO Do different messages and messengers work better with different audiences (senior voters, for example)?

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>>Coalition-Building<<

O Grass-topsO Grass-topsO DiversityO RolesO Roles

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B ild liti dBuild a coalition and organizationorganization

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 seniorscoaches, pastors, public safety, seniors, minority representation, etc.)

Recruit volunteers who have campaignRecruit volunteers who have campaign expertise … research, PR/media, legal, accounting, web and social media, graphic designers, printers, etc.

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Coalition and Organization

O All bring somethingO NameO MoneyO CachetO CachetO Practical, applicable campaign skills and

experience

O Make sure all welcome and informed

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Coalition and OrganizationCoalition and OrganizationSteering

committee Committeescommittee Committees

Fund- Legal,

PR/earned

Campaign manager

raising accountant

Community organizing

GOTV

and paid media

Research

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Coalition and OrganizationDivvy up the duties by committee/keyDivvy up the duties by committee/key

functionO Chair, GOTV Committee (in charge of GOTV

efforts)O Chair, Fund-raising CommitteeO Chair PR/Communications (earned and paidO 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

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>>Media<<

O Earned media/PRO Earned media/PRO Paid mediaO Social mediaO Social media

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Earned media/PRD l & t lki i t f th hDevelop messages & talking points from the researchHold kickoff news conferenceGet press to various events (voters must see and feel the

i d th bl )pain and the problem)Meet with editorial board/publisherHold a debate with opponentsS k thi d t d tSeek third party endorsementsGet on TV newsOp/eds, letters to the editor

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Paid mediaO Advertising: Based on research, using best g g

messages and messengers possibleO Direct mail -- 3 at least: one general educational to all

voters absentee voter mailing a GOTV mailing withinvoters, absentee voter mailing, a GOTV mailing within a week of election day)

O BillboardsO WebO Possibly radio and TV

(expensive hard to target)(expensive, hard to target)O Yard signs

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Social media/webDevelop social media strategies

O FacebookBlO Blogs

O TwitterO YouTube and Flickr (videos and photos to showO YouTube and Flickr (videos and photos to show

the pain/demonstrate the problem)

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>>GOTV!<<

O Get Out the VoteO Get Out the VoteO Events

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Get Out the Vote (GOTV)O List of certain “yes” votersO Call them on election day (phone bank needed with

l t )volunteers)O Drive them to the polls on election day (buses, vans,

cars)cars)O Neighborhood canvassing/door to doorO Tell all the “no” voters the election is in two weeks …

yeah, that’s right, two weeks! ☺

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EventsO Show voters the problem – tours of

facilities, photos, videos (YouTube, Flickr)O Latch onto existing events (booths at fairs,

lit drops at parades, lit drops at local malls)malls)

O Hold debate with opponentsO Hold information nights for communityg yO Visit local long-term care facilities

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I id tiInside tips

“Q i t” i f ilO “Quiet” campaigns fail (you must be loud to someone, right?)

G t billb d i i t l tiO Get billboards in prominent locationsO Best lists are from Practical Political

C lti i E t L iConsulting in East LansingO Voter contact, voter contact, voter contact!

V t t t t h dO Voters trust teachers, nurses and cops 35

Inside TipsHold regular meetings of the executive committee, campaign manager, and committee chairs (at local church, business, private home)Don’t forego the research! If you think youDon t forego the research! If you think you know what voters think, see me. I’ll make you rich.You must create a problem before you solve it.

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Questions?

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