Local Campaign Tips and Best Practices: What Works? 2025 Edition
March 22, 2025 7:57 PM Subscribe
Ernest inquiry for those seasoned in running a political campaign.
This question is inspired by the upcoming federal election in Canada but answers provided may be applicable to a generalized campaign for office.
What we can do to support the campaign effectively. Any tips or tasks we should focus on to make the biggest impact? Elements that are often overlooked?
What to expect on the ground. From canvassing to phone banks, what do we need to know to stay focused and engaged throughout the campaign? Ways to increase volunteer recruitment or challenge voter apathy.
Staying organized and motivated. Any strategies to manage our time effectively, keep morale high, and stay focused? Wide-ranging questions open to wide-ranging answers. Many thanks!!
This question is inspired by the upcoming federal election in Canada but answers provided may be applicable to a generalized campaign for office.
What we can do to support the campaign effectively. Any tips or tasks we should focus on to make the biggest impact? Elements that are often overlooked?
What to expect on the ground. From canvassing to phone banks, what do we need to know to stay focused and engaged throughout the campaign? Ways to increase volunteer recruitment or challenge voter apathy.
Staying organized and motivated. Any strategies to manage our time effectively, keep morale high, and stay focused? Wide-ranging questions open to wide-ranging answers. Many thanks!!
Use door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, textbanking, etc. to talk with voters and identify your supporters.
When the election comes, follow up with ONLY YOUR SUPPORTERS to get out their vote.
If someone hates your candidate, don't talk to them again. You want them to forget about the election.
posted by Jacqueline at 5:31 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]
When the election comes, follow up with ONLY YOUR SUPPORTERS to get out their vote.
If someone hates your candidate, don't talk to them again. You want them to forget about the election.
posted by Jacqueline at 5:31 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]
This is a big question. It's asking for the wisdom of an entire field at once. I like your ambition. I'll hone in on answering this part, "What we can do to support the campaign effectively?" This implies a volunteer who is not officially working with the campaign.
One effective thing you can do is "tripling." This means that for every action you take, get three of your friends to do it to triple your impact. Any time you reach out to one of these friends, also get them to triple by reaching out to three of their friends, etc. This can be attending a campaign event, volunteering to canvas, or voting on election day. If you have access to a group of people, like say at a community meeting, you can ask them to do it then and there. Everyone open up their phones and look at their contact list and find three people you can text right now to tell them about XYZ. Talking to people you know doesn't scale well, but it's extremely effective compared to talking to strangers. We want to make sure we don't leave these small gains on the table and to try to scale it to the extent we can.
Because talking to people face-to-face is effective, door to door canvassing is effective. Listen to people at the door. Ask an open ended question about what they are most concerned about in this election. Have you decided who to vote for? Why that person? Be curious and open-minded about the person you are talking to. Don't rush through the interaction. Be honest and normal. At the end, if they showed any interest in the candidate at all, ask them to take an additional step beyond voting, such as putting a sign in their yard or volunteering at the next event.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:06 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]
One effective thing you can do is "tripling." This means that for every action you take, get three of your friends to do it to triple your impact. Any time you reach out to one of these friends, also get them to triple by reaching out to three of their friends, etc. This can be attending a campaign event, volunteering to canvas, or voting on election day. If you have access to a group of people, like say at a community meeting, you can ask them to do it then and there. Everyone open up their phones and look at their contact list and find three people you can text right now to tell them about XYZ. Talking to people you know doesn't scale well, but it's extremely effective compared to talking to strangers. We want to make sure we don't leave these small gains on the table and to try to scale it to the extent we can.
Because talking to people face-to-face is effective, door to door canvassing is effective. Listen to people at the door. Ask an open ended question about what they are most concerned about in this election. Have you decided who to vote for? Why that person? Be curious and open-minded about the person you are talking to. Don't rush through the interaction. Be honest and normal. At the end, if they showed any interest in the candidate at all, ask them to take an additional step beyond voting, such as putting a sign in their yard or volunteering at the next event.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:06 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]
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posted by NotLost at 8:49 PM on March 22