Capaing Strategy Manual

Campaign Strategy Plan
By
Tomás Alberto Avila

June 11, 1998
Campaign Strategy Development
Drafting of a Campaign Plan
Candidate strengths and weaknesses
What makes you an attractive candidate?
What attributes are you going to emphasize in your campaign?
What areas are you vulnerable?
How do you plan to protect yourself in these areas?
The Opponent
What makes him an attractive candidate?
What attributes is he going to emphasize in his campaign?
What areas is He vulnerable?
How do you plan to exploit these areas?
The District
What is the district political history?
What is the demographics?
What are the constituent groups and institutions that will make a difference in the election?
What is the analysis of past elections?
Who wins and why?
What is the political parties performance?
What is the swing/switch vote?
How do you plan to capitalize on it?
Vote Targeting
What is the projected turnout
© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 2

How many votes are needed to win (50% +1)?
How many identified supporters do you need to win?
Message Slogan
What message will drive your campaign?
What impression do you want voters to have of your candidacy?
What is the one thing voters should remember about you as they walk to the polls?
What will be your consistently repeated slogan?
What are the 4-5 themes, key attributes and issues you will use to define your candidacy and
communicate your message?
Voter Contact
How will your voter contact strategy ensure you will reach your goal of identified supporters?
How will your volunteers supplement candidate door-knocking and phone calls?
When will phone banks, volunteer door-knocking, lit drops, house parties and other campaign
activities be schedule?
How many volunteers will be needed to complete each activity?
Targeted Constituencies
How will you persuade and identify key targeted constituencies (e.g. seniors, veterans, absentee
voters, home owners, renters, racial and ethnic groups)?
What political and organizational endorsements do you feel will help you win?
What is the schedule for making these contacts?
What organizing do you feel is needed to make this plan work?
Direct Mail Campaign
How will your mail program deliver your message and make your case?

How will your mail plan coordinate with your door knocking and your volunteer contact plan?
How many “district wide” mailings do you plan to do?
What mail will you sent to targeted constituencies?
Will you need bilingual brochures?
What is the schedule hit date?
Free/Paid Media
What is your plan for press events (i.e. radio, talk shows, editorial, board meetings et.)?
What is your plan for building relationship with local reporters?
Does it make sense for you to use paid media?
If so, what is your paid media strategy?
Budget
What is the budget that will fund your campaign ( include specific costs for all major items)?
What are your weekly cash-flow needs?
Fund Raising
What are sources for fund-raising?
How do you expect to expand your fund-raising base?
What specific strategies will you use?
What is your schedule for direct mail solicitation and events?
How will you raise money beyond your budget late in the campaign?
Where will your “disaster dollars” come from
Campaign organization
Who will make decisions in your campaign?

What key rolls are needed and who will assign (e.g. volunteer coordinator, fundraising
coordinator, absentee ballot coordinator, press secretary etc.?
Who will you involve in making decisions?

Elements of a Campaign
The campaign plan is a road map for the effective implementation of the strategic goals of the
campaign. The campaign plan incorporates various elements including message, field
operations, and finances into a comprehensive blueprint for achieving Tomasy.
Political Assessment
• Candidate, Opponent, major issues, and the district’s “big picture”
Message
• What is a political Message
• Message Targeting
Campaign Structure
• Campaign Roles
• Campaign Organizational Chart
Field Operations
• Elements of Targeting
• Volunteers
• Petition Drive
• Voter Registration
• Canvassing
• Voter Identification
• Election Day
Finances
• Political Fundraising
• Campaign Budget
Calendar

Message: Developing a Winning Message

“Compelling Reason for Action”
Developing Your Message
In developing your campaign message the first step is to take an in-depth analysis of your
strengths and weaknesses and how they will come into play in the campaign. Every
candidate/campaign needs to determine what is the central reason for seeking public office.
1. What are my strengths and weaknesses?

2. Why am I the most qualified person for elected office?
3. Why should I run now?
Answer these questions with regards to your opponent.
NOTE: Discuss all your skeletons with your campaign team—they will come out.
Defining the Race
Every campaign needs to identify the critical issues that voters in the district care about, and how
the campaign will address then. This means having discussions with opinion leaders in
your district, conducting polling, and studying local press coverage.
1. What are the issues facing the district?
2. What do the voters care about?
3. What is this election race going to be about?

The Message Box
You know your candidate, you have researched the district and the key issues, you have studied
your opponent, and you are developing a core message, now you can begin developing themes
about the various issues that the campaign will articulate.
Your Message Opponents Message

What do we say about our campaign? What do they say about their campaign?
What do we say about them? What do they say about us?
Field Operations
Targeting “Deciding which voters to talk to”
Votes Needed to Win

Projected Vote / 2 + 1 = Votes Needed to Win
Using a Voter File

Using a Voter File will allow your campaign to identify who is likely to be voting by demographic
categories such as gender, age, ethnicity etc. Your campaign will also be able to identify
voting performance: likely voters, occasional voter, new voters etc.
Research similar race

Sometimes researching previous campaigns in your district will provide a sense of where and
who is your possible base vote. For example, if you are running in a non-Latino majority
district, studying previous Latinos on the ballot will give your campaign a sense of how she
or he fared in the district, precinct by precinct.
Polling
Polls are expensive! Your campaign needs to decide early on if spending a significant
part of your budget on polling is worth it. If your campaign cannot afford a poll—
Research, Research, Research! Read all of the local papers, especially the letters to the
editor. Talk to different segments of the community. Don’t guess what people are
thinking-ASK!!
If your campaign will be conducting a poll to help you design your message, carefully
word the questions on the poll. Your first poll, a bench mark poll, will help you

establish name identification, discover the general mood of voters, identify the ‘hot
button’ issues and test your message. Later your campaign can conduct various kinds of
polls to track your message and identify what issues are persuading swing voters.
Field Operations
“Who, How and When will we talk to Voters”
Elements of a Field Plan
Your campaign field plan is an important element of your campaign. It describes your voter
contact strategies and sets goals for all your volunteer work. The plan must specifically outline
WHO the campaign will visit, HOW they will contact voters and WHEN voters will be
contacted.
The fundamental elements of the plan include voter registration, petition gathering, canvassing,
phonebanking, and the vote by mail program. These elements must be organized at different
times during your campaign depending on who you need to contact.
Voter Registration
An aggressive voter registration program is very important for a candidate that doesn’t have
enough of a base vote to win the election. A registration drive can also be important if your
election is in a city or district that has seen recent increases in U.S. citizenship
The main goal of a voter registration drive to your campaign is to increase your base over
your opponents. It does your campaign no good to invest in voter registration if it will
help your opponent.
If your campaign decides to do voter registration, please remember the following:

♦ Target your voter registration in precincts that will most likely vote for you.
♦ Door-to-door voter registration, while harder and more time consuming, is better for you
than site registration.
♦ Registration at big sites, like markets or swap meets, are only effective if you are running in
a large district, because these sites attract people from all over.
♦ Learn all the voter registration rules and deadlines.
♦ Follow up and track all the citizens that you have registered to vote.
♦ Train your volunteers well, it will save you from discarding cards or trying to fix cards, by
tracking down voters.
Questions to ask yourself.

♦ Do you need to increase your base vote?
♦ How much time to allocate for a good voter registration drive?
♦ Is any other candidate or organization going to be registering voters?

Petition Gathering
Gathering signatures on your nominating petition is critical. Signature gathering

is important because it obviously gets you on the ballot, but you can use this period to
begin doing targeted precinct walking and talking to voters. Although most cities and
school boards allow candidates to collect a minimal amount of signatures and pay a fee to
get on the ballot, this campaign activity can be your first contact with voters in your
district.
When you begin to collect signatures you must remember the following steps:
♦ Have a map of your district.
♦ Know any and all eligibility rules for those who can sign your petition.
♦ Get a list of all registered voters, if you are going to walk door to door.
♦ Have a prepared Biography or introduction letter/brochure of who you are and
why you are running.
♦ Create a database of all voters who signed candidate petitions.
♦ Send a thank you letter to all those who sign your petition, once you have
been officially place on the ballot.
Gathering petitions is one of the first steps in developing your field campaign.
Having volunteers gathering signatures is a training tool for your campaign. We believe
that targeted petition gathering in your base is a great way to introduce your natural base
with your campaign. Remember that although you define a segment of the community as
your base, you still need to cultivate their support towards you.
Canvassing
Most campaigns spend a lot of time and energy in canvassing their district. It is
believed that face to face contact between candidate or volunteer and voter is the best
means of voter contact and voter persuasion. They are right! What most candidates do
not realize is that target canvassing is even more effective
Targeted canvassing means that the campaign is going to target voter households,
rather than walking to every door or every voter in the district. Unless your campaign
starts early enough and has enough volunteers, to visit every house, then has the ability to
return and talk to all undecided voters, your campaign must decide who you will be able
talk to. Targeting will give you parameters on who talk to while walking precincts. We
recommend that a canvass program include three targets:
♦ Candidate walking: All high propensity (Always Voting) voter households (hh)
♦ Volunteer walking: All high propensity voter ‘hh’ + soft base (sometimes voting)
‘hh’ + always voting swing hh.
Get-Out-The-Vote walking: All identified YES voters.

♦ If you do not have enough ID’d yes, and then we suggest you focus on turning out
your base.
Your canvass program is volunteer intensive; therefore, it demands a highly
organized headquarters operation. Your campaign must designate a Precinct Coordinator
who is responsible for all aspects of the canvassing program. They are responsible for
building precinct kits, training volunteers, tracking voter contacts, and assigning
precincts to be walked.
What is a precinct Kit? A precinct kit includes the following:

♦ Map of the Precinct
♦ A Voter list
♦ Canvassing Instructions and a Script to talk to voters
♦ Tally sheet
♦ Campaign Literature
♦ Campaign talking points
♦ Pen and paper
How do I track all voter contact?

It is critical that your campaign set up a system of tracking all your voter contacts.
While we recommend using a voter file that allows you to update and manipulate data,
you can also keep a running count of all your voter responses. Your Data Manager
should record voter contact operations, canvassing, phonebanking, and candidate
contacts.
Furthermore, if you have the budget, we believe that every voter that commits to
voting for you should receive a GOTV mailer, letter, or a post card from the candidate
and any voter who is undecided should receive one with a strong persuasion message.
Vote By Mail
During the past ten years, California has seen political campaigns become more
sophisticated and targeted. A very effective campaign tool that more and more
campaigns are using is the vote by mail. The goal of a vote by mail program is to
organize your soft base of voters, (supporters who have a poor voting history) to vote by
mail (VBM).
If your campaign decides to run a VBM program, you must remember one thing,
follow up, follow up, and follow up. Campaigns sometimes do not realize that
doing a VBM program means that you are talking to a targeted voter three or four times.
You must follow up with a voter once they receive their application. Then follow up to
remind them to mail in the application. Follow up again, so they know that if they
haven’t mailed in their ballot, they must walk it in to the polling place.

The process demands that your campaign set up a tracking system so that the
campaign can follow VBM voters. Many times this program is a campaign within the
bigger campaign.
NOTE: If your campaign has the resources, and your city or county allows the
campaign to actually pick up VBM applications from voters, we suggest that you
purchase a business reply which allows you to place on the back of all the VBM
applications a “Postage Paid For.” This makes it even easier for your targeted voters to
just fill out the application and mail it without a stamp.
Voter Identification:
All campaigns come down to this fundamental aspect, voter identification. Your
campaign goal must be to identify enough voters that will turnout to vote for you on
Election Day. Based on your targeting, you must determine if the majority of your voter
identification will be persuasion or GOTV/turnout. (NOTE: Some campaigns like to
identify 25% over the 50+1 needed to win.)
Base turnout means that your targeting you has identified enough voters to win
the election if they vote. Then your identification has become a tool for getting your
voter out to vote. Your volunteers should talk to voters with an emotional/ “call to
action” message that encourages voting. For example, this historic election, or an
opportunity to elect the first Latina/o or scare people about your opponents.
Persuasion means that your targeting identified a large swing-voting block that
you need to convince. The persuasion message must be compelling and contrast you
from your opponent. Experienced volunteers and the candidate must contact this group
of voters. This work is a key part of Tomasy.
Voter Identification is ultimately done to prepare for Election Day and GOTV.
Most campaigns will have done both persuasion voter contact and base turnout voter
contact. Therefore, your GOTV program will be to push out those turnout voters and to
confirm that your persuasion voters will be voting for you.
Get-Out-The-Vote, GOTV
GOTV is the culmination of all your campaign hard work. Your voter contacts
and campaign activities build towards turning out your supporters on Election Day.
GOTV is doing everything in your power to get out all your supporters to vote on
Election Day. Your GOTV list must include only your ID’d yes voters. Your volunteers
must be stay focused on getting those yes voters out to the polls.
GOTV really starts 3 days prior to Election Day. We encourage your campaign to
begin calling all yes and reminding them where they will vote on Election Day. GOTV
efforts should include door hangers for all your yes voters the day before Election Day or
early on Election Day. Door hanging is the final reminder of the BIG DAY.

NOTE: don’t turnout your opponent’s voters!
Election Day
On Election Day, your campaign goal is to get all the identified yes voters to the
polls. You do this through face-to-face visits by volunteers, or phone calling.
Periodically throughout the day, you can clean up your list by going to the polls and
verifying who has actually voted. This process allows you to cross off all the voters that
have already voted. Now instead of starting the day with 100 identified supporters in a
precinct the number decrease. This process is called “Poll Checking” and it helps
maximize your time by not spending time on voters who have already voted for you.
This gives your campaign the ability to focus on those voters who have yes to vote.
Throughout Election Day, you usually do 3 poll checks and continue to turn out
your vote. These are the basics for Election Day. Your campaign should only be focus
on getting out your voters, not preparing for the Tomasy party. Get- Out- The- Vote!

Sample Campaign Budget
Week 12 Week 11 Week 10 Week 9 Week 8

Administration
Campaign Manager
Rent/Utilities
Office Equipment
Computer
Phones
Postage
Consultan
t
Office Supplies
Misc.
Fundraising
Finance Director
Printing
Postage
Events
Message
Press Secretary
Mail Design
Printing
Postage
TV/Radio Production
Buy
Print Design
Publication
Research Polling
Background Checks
Field Operations
Field Director
Voter File
Literature
Posters/Lawn signs
Buttons
Voter Registration
Volunteer Phone banking
Paid Phone banking
VBM
Election Day
Food
Totals

GENERAL CAMPAIGN TIMELINE
Pre-May Candidate takes Inventory: personal evaluation, resources, chances of winning
May Set-up Begins

-Develop core group
-identify self and/or key volunteers
-look for office space/equipment
-do research on district, opposition
May-June Begin Organization Building

-gather lists/set up record keeping system
-delegate key tasks
-develop campaign plan
-begin door knocking
June-Aug. Voter Registration/Contact/Identification; Organization

Building/Media/Fundraising
Candidate:
-door knocks
-visits and calls high donors
-appears at events, coffees, debates
-does interviews
-seeks endorsements
Volunteers:
-canvass, drop literature and do visibility
-hold coffees
-do mailings
-make voter persuasion and identification calls
-hold fund-raisers
July-Aug. A11 of the Above, plus recruit and train volunteers for Primary Day
Coverage and GOTV
Sept. All of the Above, plus poll coverage and GOTV for Primary
Sept.-Oct. Shift into High Gear/Continue Voter Contact/ Accelerate Media and Fundraising;
De-Centralize Volunteer Structure
Oct.-Nov. Recruit for Poll Work and GOTV/ Hold Last Literature Drop/ Accelerate Media
and Visibility/ Shore up Supporter and Fundraising Base
Nov. Win!

PHONE BANK SCRIPT
Hello, may I speak with My name is and I am a volunteer for Tomas Gutierrez
our candidate for State Representative for District 20.
Are you planning to vote for Tomas in the Democratic primary in September? (If they ask: he
has opposition in both the September primary and the November general election.)
IF 1: That's great. I’ll give your name to his campaign manager and shell make sure you
know about upcoming campaign activities.
IF. 2 OR 3: I’d like to take just a minute to tell you some of the reasons I am supporting
Tomas in his 1998 campaign.
PICK A FEW STAMENTS FROM ISSUES SHEET

Can Tomas count on your vote in September?
(If uncertain:) Is there any information we can provide about issues that are important to you
as you consider how you will vote in September?
Thank you for your time.
IF 4 OR 5 Thanks for your time.
FOR ANSWERING MACHINE:
Hi, this is and am a volunteer for the Committee to Elect Tomas Gutierrez our State
Representative for District 20. Well try to call again.
KEY
VOTER ID
1: DEFINITELY WILL vote for Tomas
2: LEANING/PROBABLY WILL vote for Tomas
3: UNDECIDED
4: LEANING/PROBABLY WILL NOT vote for Tomas
5: DEFINITELY WILL NOT vote for Tomas
VOTER CONTACT
PP Person to Person
MSG Left message with a person
AM Left message on answering machine
WRI Wrong #
BZ Busy-

VOTER ID DOORKNOCKING SUMMARY SHEET
Date: _____________
_______ Amount of time door knocking

_________ Approximate of households visited
_________ Direct Contacts with successful LD. (person to person)
_________ ls 4s
_________ 2s 5s
_________ 3s
_________ Potential Volunteers _________ Potential Donors
Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_________ These ids have been added to mad map chart
_________ Information has been sent to those requesting it
_________ These i.d.s have been entered on database by: _____________________________

TOMAS YOU CAN COUNT ON MY HELP FOR CAMPAIGN:1998!
[ ] I may host a coffee house party [ ] I will send out 'Dear Friend' cards
[ ] I will help make phone calls [ ] I will help in the office (daytime)
[ ] I will help with literature drops [ ] I will door knock canvass in a group
[ ] I will hold a sign for visibility’s [ ] I would like to be invited to a fund-raiser
[ ] I will help with data entry/typing [ ] I will help sell tickets to a fund-raiser
[ ] I can recruit others to help [ ] I will put a bumper sticker on my car
[ ] I can help on Primary Day [ ] I will put a roof rack on my car
[ ] I can drive on September 1 5 [ ] other ("specify):__________________

Campaign Committee to Elect TOMAS F. GUTIERREZ

Comite de Campaña para la Elección de TOMAS F. GUTIERREZ
Volunteer Application/Aplicación de Voluntario(a)
DATE/FECHA: / /
NAME/NOMBRE:
ADDRESS/DIRECCION:
CITY/CIUDAD: STATE/ESTADO: ZIP CODE/CODIGO POSTAL:
OFFICE PHONE/TEL OFICINA. #: ( ) FAX #: ( )
TEL. #: ( ) E-Mail/CORREO-ELECTRONICO:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Campaign Committee to Elect TOMAS F. GUTIERREZ
Comite de Campaña para la Elección de TOMAS F. GUTIERREZ
Volunteer Application/Aplicación de Voluntario(a)
DATE/FECHA: / /
NAME/NOMBRE:
ADDRESS/DIRECCION:
CITY/CIUDAD: STATE/ESTADO: ZIP CODE/CODIGO POSTAL:
OFFICE PHONE/TEL OFICINA. #: ( ) FAX #: ( )
TEL. #: ( ) E-Mail/CORREO-ELECTRONICO:

PRECINCT CAPTAIN SCHEDULE

Election Day Telephone Numbers
Capellàn Headquarters: 648-6742
6:50 a.m. Arrive at polling place with signs, stickers
7:15 a.m. CALL HEADQUARTERS TO REPORT
7:15 -8:45 Delivery of coffee and donuts (please help your driver bute to workers)
9:00 a.m. GET COUNT OF HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE VOTED IN TOTAL
(from machine or warden) and call headquarters to report
11:30 am GET COUNT OF HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE VOTED and call
headquarters to report
3:00 p.m. GET COUNT OF VOTERS, call headquarters
4:30 p.m. GET COUNT OF VOTERS, call headquarters
5:00-6:30 p.m. Coffee and hot chocolate delivery (please help your driver distribute to
workers)
7:55-8:15 p.m. Will arrive at your location to pick up ALL SIGNS.

All signs will be transported to Tomas’s Headquarters, for pick up the next
day. (Gutierrez Headquarters will close at 8:00 p.m.)
8:15 p.m. Go to the Unified Tomasy Party (and make sure you invite all poll workers
throughout the day)

IMPORTANT NOTES:
SIGNS:
1. Please encourage our poll workers to hold a second sign in the hand that's not holding a
Gutierrez sign. Many of the other campaigns will have more spotty coverage and could use
our support if we're able to offer it. Tomas is voting 'yes' on all four ballot questions.
2. Please try to oversee that all signs (Democratic candidates and ballot questions if present) are
not abused or stolen or left unattended.
3. Please keep all signs (again, of all campaigns) at the polls. There may be many volunteers
working on election day for the first time and they may think they need to take their sign
back to an office when their shift is over. THE CAMPAIGNS OF EVERY DEMOCRAT
ON THE BALLOT wish to have their signs kept at the polling place, even if someone is not
scheduled to relieve a poll worker.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LITERATURE DROP
1. Check your map and plan your walking route. Your route should take no more than 2-3
hours for one person -- somewhat less in lower numbered .precincts, a little more in some
hilly precincts. You will drop the literature on the streets shaded on your map.. Drop only
on the side of the street marked. At the edges of the map, you will do only your side of the
street -someone else will be dropping the other side. Check off streets as you complete
them.
2. Drop one piece of literature for each household. For example, for a two-family house, drop
one piece for each font door. If there is just one entrance to a multi-family house, drop one
piece for each apartment (to get an idea of the number of households, count mailboxes). For
larger apartment buildings, leave a number of pieces in the entrance lobby, near the
mailboxes - approximately one piece for every four apartments.
3. Preferred locations to drop the literature:
-between the screen or storm door and the main door

-slipped under the porch door
-through slot in or next to door
-on porch face up in front of door (place it where it will not blow away)
-in handle or behind gdU work on storm door (if necessary)
Never put a piece of literature inside a mailbox or other container for US mail violates
federal postal rules).
4. You are representing Tomas, so be courteous and respect people's property. Close doors
and gates behind you. Don’t get into arguments. If people want more information, have
them call campaign HQ at 648-1992.
5. If you run out of literature, call the Headquarter to pick up more. Please bring all extras
back to HQ.
6. Call or stop by to let us know when you've finished. If you cannot complete your route,
mark the areas you did complete and bring the map and leftover literature back as soon as
possible so we can find someone else to complete
7. Thanks for your help!
GOTV 1: For Primary Day first contact

Use for message machines, too.
Hello, is identified supporter there? My name is and I am a friend of Tomas Capellàn, who
is running for State Representative. Tomas asked me to call to thank you for your support and to
remind you that today is primary day. The election could be decided by just a handful of votes -
- so your vote is very, very important!
Have you voted yet?/ Are you going to make it to the polls today?
You probably know, the polls are open from 7am to 8pm, and we'll be offering rides.
Will you be needing one? (If so, fill out ride sheet and call ____________
Please remind your family and friends, too. We need all the support we can get!
Thanks again for your support!
GOTV 2: For Primary Day second contact (if we had to leave a message the first time or
find that person hasn't voted yet according to checkers)
Use on message machines, too.
Hello, is identified supporter there? My name is and I am a friend of Tomas Gutierrez, who is
running for State Representative. I'm sorry to bother you again, but we have begun to get figures
in on the voting, and it looks as if the race is even closer than we thought.
We were talking before about how the election could be decided by just a handful of votes --
well, now it looks like one or two votes could make the decision.
Tomas needs your help -- and the help of all your friends and family. So if you know of anyone
who has not yet voted, please urge them to get to the polls. And, please, please, don't forget to
vote yourself'!
IF YOU NEED A RIDE: Call_________________
GOTV SCRIPT 1: For first contact with identified supporters
Do not leave messages on answering machines until the third attempt! Use this script for both.
Hello, is identified supporter there? My name is and I am a volunteer with the Tomas Gutierrez
for State Representative Campaign. Tomas asked me to call to thank you for your support and to
remind you that Tuesday is Primary day. The election could be decided by just a handful of
votes -- so your vote is very, very important!

Please remind your family and friends, too. We need all the support we can get!
You probably know, the polls are open from 7am to 8pm and we'll be offering rides. Will you be
needing one? (If so, fill out ride sheet and call into office at ____________________.
Thanks again for your support!
GUTIERREZ GOTV SCRIPT:
Hi, may I speak with is and I'm a volunteer for Tomas Gutierrez. We're, making quick calls to
Tomas's supporters today since bad weather may cause voter turnout to be lower than expected
in Tuesday's election.
(If elderly): Do you think you may need a ride to the polls if the weather is bad?
fun would really appreciate your support on Tuesday and there are also a lot of important races
and initiatives on the ballot as well.
Please encourage your family and friends to get out and vote on Tuesday. so much for your
support-
ANSWERING MACHINE
Hi may I speak with___________. This is ___________ and I'm calling supporters of Tomas
Gutierrez today to
encourage you, your family and friends to get out and vote in Tuesday's election. Bad weather
may cause voter turnout to be lower than expected. Thanks so much for your support.
(If elderly): Call __________ if you need a ride to the polls.

PRIMARY ELECTION
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER
TH
15
NEED A RIDE?
CALL:
TOMAS GUTIERREZ
HEADQUARTERS
123-4567

RIDE SHEET
CAMPAIGN OFFICE: (000) 123-4567
TIME RIDE NEEDED _____________________________ AM/PM
STREET ADDRESS ______________________________________________________
POLLING PLACE _________________________________________________________
WARD/PRECINCT _____________
NAME __________________________________________________________________
PHONE NUMBER _________________________________________________________
COMMENTS:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGN HOLDERS.
Thanks so much for volunteering to hold a sign on Primary Day! All the hard work we-e done
so far will culminate in a Tomasy on this crucial day with your help. *Your job is extremely
important to the smooth running of the campaign so if anything comes up and you cannot get to
your assigned polling place at the time mentioned on the reverse, please call Headquarters at:
1234-567, or Tomas Gutierrez at 123-4567 A.S.A.P. to let us know . Thanks!
The Job: Your job is to hold a Tomas Gutierrez sign and greet voters as they arrive at the polls.
The purpose of sign-holding is to give Tomas visibility at the polls and put forward a positive
image of the campaign.
Tips
• CLOTHING/ ACCESSORIES: Dress for the weather; bring along gloves and an extra
sweater even if you think you may not need it. Standing still can be surprisingly cold work.
Also, please wear a stylish Tomas Gutierrez button! BRING DIMES TOO, FOR CALLING
HEADQUARTERS.
• SIGNS: If you are on the first shift in the morning and do not have a sign by Monday- at
8:00pm, please come to Headquarters and get one. If you can't get there, please call us so we
can deliver one. When your shift is done, if no one arrives immediately to relieve you.
please leave the sign in a visible location for the next worker. PLEASE CALL US AT 123-
4567 TO LET US KNOW WHEN YOUR SHIFT IS DONE. If you are on the last shift
please bring the sign back to Brown Square Civic Club at the intersection of Franklin and
Plan2tation Streets.
• GRIEETING VOTERS: You're the judge! Some people will not stop or make eye contact
and would rather not speak to you about who they'll be voting for. In this case. a smile is
enough. If you do find occasion to speak to voters, saying " I hope you'll give your vote to
Tomas Gutierrez" should work well. It's best to smile as much as possible (even when tired,
bored and hungry)
• RULES AND REGULATIONS: Once you have arrived at your polling place, PLEASE
MAKE SURE TO OBSERVE THE 150 FOOT LIMIT, which will be clearly marked in
green paint around the polling place.
• TOMASY PARTY: _______________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DRIVERS:
Thanks so much for volunteering your time to drive voters to the Polls On Primary Day.
We couldn't do it without you!
THE JOB: Your job is to give voters rides to and from the polls and stay in constant
communication with the Dispatcher at the following number: 123-4567.
TIPS:
• Call people requesting rides to confirm before you do the pick up.
• Take extra care with Seniors and disabled folks.
• Please call the Ride Coordinator at 1/2 hour intervals, unless otherwise instructed.
• If you have a roof rack or bumper stickers available, please put them on your vehicle before
you begin driving.
• If you are on the later shift, please report to Headquarters at 5:30pm for the evening rush!
TOMASY PARTY: see reverse.
*** PLEASE CALL HEADQUARTERS IF PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS ARRISE.

Instructions for Checkers
Thanks so much for volunteering to check the voting lists on Primary Day! The purpose of
checking is to gauge how many and who of our supporters have voted so that we can remind
those who have not to go out and do it! Your job is extremely important to the smooth running
of the campaign, so if anything comes up and you cannot get to your assigned polling place at
the time specified, please call Headquarters A.S.A.P. to let us know at: 123-4567. Thanks!
THE JOB: Your job is to go into your assigned polling place with a list of identified Gutierrez
supporters and mark off the names of voters as they state their addresses and names to the
election attendant, signifying that they have already voted. Please mark them off by circling the
street number of the address where they live. At the beg g of your shift, take off any Gutierrez
buttons you may have on and go into the polling place. Present the election attendant with your
authorization form and get seated in a place where you can hear voters as they come in.
FOR CHECKERS ON THE 7AM TO 12:30 PM SHIFT: You will receive a list
corresponding to your polling place, marked "List I". Gutierrez supporters will have a dash in
the left hand column next to their street number. As voters come in, mark off onIN, those with
dashes next to their street numbers. Please ignore any other markings on the list! If your shift
ends at 12:30, please wait for your replacement to arrive. S/he will be using "List 2". If you
have been given this list, please hand it off to your replacement and report back to headquarters
A.S.A.P. with "List I."
FOR CHECKERS ON THE 12:30 to 4:30PM SHIFT: You will receive a list corresponding
to your polling place, marked "List 2". If you have not already received this list, go to your
polling place and get it from the Gutierrez checker inside. Gutierrez supporters will be color-
coded with a pink or yellow highlighter. As voters come in, mark off only those which have
been color-coded. Please ignore any other markings on the list! When your shift ends at 4:30,
please report back to headquarters A.S.A.P. with "List 2" and help us make GOTV calls, if
possible.
FOR CHECKERS ON DUTY FROM 7AM TO 4:30PM: Follow both sets of instructions
above. But, do not leave your station unless you are relieved by a Gutierrez volunteer. A runner
will come to pick up "List 1" at about 12:30.
MATERLALS: You will receive:
• a list of Gutierrez supporters arranged by street, similar to the voting list but shorter.
• a clipboard to use as a portable desk
• a red pen
• a form from the campaign authorizing you to go inside the polling location
***IF YOU'RE MISSING ONE OR MORE OF THESE THINGS, PLEASE MAKE SURE
TO HAVE THEM BEFORE YOU HAVE TO WORK - OR CALL US SO WE CAN GET
THEM TO YOU!

RULES AND REGULATIONS: Please keep the following rules in mind:
• You must bring your own supplies (e.g. pen etc.).

• You must not disrupt or interfere with the voting in any way.
• NO POLITICAL MATERIALS OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED INSIDE (no
buttons ... etc. ...)
• Checkers must comply with election attendant's instructions.
PROBLEMS: If problems of any kind arise, please don't argue with attendants; Call us
at: 123-4567.

CAMPAIGN PLANNING WORKSHEET
CATEGORIES
Field and Voter Contact

volunteer Recruitment
Campaign committee recruitment
Organizational endorsements and help
Canvassing
Coffees
Voter persuasion/ID phoning
Constituent mailings,
Literature distribution
Visibility
Lawn signs, buttons, bumper stickers
Poll coverage
GOTV phoning
Media
Interviews, events, radio spots, cable, newspaper ads
Candidate Scheduling
Door knocking
Fundraising
High donors, events, field fundraising, direct mail
Administration
Lists, computer work, filing dates

LIST THE GOAL, TASKS, RESOURCES, AND NEXT STEPS FOR EACH CATEGORY
***EXAMPLE***
Category: Volunteer Recruitment
Goal: Recruit 100 volunteers by Primary Day
Tasks-.
1. Gather lists of potential volunteers
2. Set benchmarks for volunteers needed
3. Schedule 3 volunteer recruitment phone banks in May
4. (and so on...)
Resources needed:
Volunteers, phones, fact sheets about the candidate, phone scripts... (Note post of people,
time and money)
Next Steps: Schedule phone bank site ASAP and recruit volunteers
Prepared for the Winning in 1998 workshop on Campaign Planning by the Ocean State Action
Coalition.

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
The goal of any Political campaign is to win. - To achieve that goal. A campaign must persuade
a majority (or pluralistic) of the people who turn our to the polls to vote for its candidate.
Many factors are needed to put together a winning campaign but the core which all others factors
are wrapped around is the campaign strategy.
Without a planned strategy a campaign has no substance.
That is why it is important-to understand- specifically, the definition of strategy. and how the
term differs from tactics.
To achieve the goal of receiving a majority vote. the campaign must first identify which voters
the campaign wants to communicate with. and what persuasive message is to be communicated
to the
A simple definition of campaign strategy is:
Who (which voters) + WHY (what message) = 50% + 1 of voter turnout.
Tactics are the tools used to implement the strategy. They are the methods of communication ...
direct mail. broadcast advertising. Newspaper advertising. lawn signs. etc. One cannot
determine the HOW (tactics) without the WHO and WHY (strategy)
HOW TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY
Before one can determine the WHO and WHY (the strategy). extensive research of the
legislative district must be conducted. The fewer guesses a campaign manager has to make. the
more likely the chance of developing a winning strategy.
The type of research necessary includes:
1) VOTER SURVEY. One of the most critical elements in the campaign's research plan is
an accurate. professionally prepared public opinion survey. Through asking a series of
carefully worded questions to a scientifically selected sample of voters a professional
survey research firm can help determine which positions of key issues will motivate
specific voter groups to vote for the candidate.
2) VOTING HISTORY OF DISTRICT. Research how the district voted in past elections.
Which neighborhoods and communities tend to vote Republican and which tend to vote
Democratic? Research which candidates in past elections have won.

2. IDENTIFICATION OF MOTIVATIONAL ISSUES (WHY).
Having determined which voter groups you wish to target. You must then determine the
Always remember one axiom: a voter will not cross party line without cause. 'Meet ticket-
splitter who is unable to distinguish any significant difference between the candidates will
almost always vote his or her party registration.
Issues of interest in which there are a distinct contrast between the opposing candidates are
caused motivational issues.
To give an example. Polling data indicates that a majority of an important voter group are
opposed to crime and violence. If your opponent is on record of favoring crime and violence,
and your candidate opposes it. You have an issue to exploit. If. however your opponent also
opposes crime and violence. you have an important issue which you want your candidate to
speak out on. but it would not be considered a motivation Issue, because both candidates are on
the same side of the issue. Identifying a motivational Issue with the right target group is the key
to a winning strategy.
There are two classifications of motivation Issues: primary and secondary.
A primary motivational issue is a contrasting issue that could be persuasive to most if not all.
voter groups . the campaign is communicating with. For example research showing that 75% of
the voters support the death penalty. Your candidate supports the death penalty and your
opponent is opposing it that would be a p motivational issue. One which you would want to get
on the highest mountain top with the loudest bull horn to inform the voters.
There could also be key motivational issues which could be persuasive to farmers but not
urbanites; to women. but not Men, to senior citizens, but there might also be motivational issues
which one or voter groups might agree with your candidate but other voter groups as important
to your campaign with your candidate. In case you want to be selective as to whom you Call
ca the message. These are called secondary motivational issues.
3. OPPOSITION RESEARCH. Obtain detailed public information on the opponent. If the

opponent is an incumbent, the data should include, but not limited to information on money
raised and spent in prior elections, past legislative voting records. effectiveness of district office
staff, newspaper editorials and news articles. Check out your opponents published resume to
determine accuracy.
4. MEDIA PROFILE. Obtain information on the newspapers, radio and television stations
which service the district. Which reporters cover the political news? Which newspapers or

broadcast stations endorse candidates for office. and if so, do they normally endorse Republicans
or Democrats?
THE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD STRATEGY
Each campaign is unique. thus every campaign must have its own distinct strategy. Seldom can
a g strategy be pulled off a shelf.
There are. however, two important elements found in all winning strategies.
They include:
1. IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET GROUPS- (WHO). Districts are seldom

homogeneous. may consist of people of differing ages. income. race and religion' Some may
reside in urban area. others in areas: as such. they will have differing opinions. values. and
interests. The campaign manager must therefore identify the group of groups of voters which
most likely can be persuaded to vote for their candidate.
In selecting the target groups one should be familiar with the following terms:
A. BASE VOTE. In political campaigns. a certain percentage of people vote a straight

Republican ticket or a straight Democratic ticket. These are called base voters. The
percentage of votes a candidate can expect to receive just because of ones party registration
is call the base vote.
B. TICKET SPLITTER. A ticket-splitter is one who does- not vote the straight party ticket.
This person may vote Republican for Presidents and at the same time vote Democrat for
congress (or visa versa).
C. POWFR BASE. If there is a significant number of voters who have a propensity to vote for
your candidate, not because of any specific issue but because of similar identifiable
D. characteristics. such as race. region. religion. or occupations. then the candidate has a
potential power base.
VOTER TARGETING
WORK BACKWARDS!
A) How many people are expected to vote?

B) How many votes will you need to win on primary or election day? (GOTV)
WHO ARE THE "GOOD VOTERS"
A) What is a good voter?
B) Why do we only target good voters? Graphic #I
C) How to determine turnout

1) PD 43 -- basic information; not specific enough for primaries
2) Local Board of Elections -- town or city hall; breakdown by %, and precinct
3) Compile information from several elections

1. Choose years that are comparable
2. Pay, particular attention to local, state, or federal elections or issues that could
skew the results
3. Estimate turnout by precinct, - and town
D) How to determine how many votes are needed to win

1) If there are only two candidates. divide by two and add one vote
2) If more than two candidates, it is more difficult to determine a "safe-" number
E) How to compile a good voter list
1) Start with the most recent registered voter list

2) Should be computerized; if town doesn't sell or give it out in electronic format try the
state party, other office holders, or previous candidates. If you can't get it on disk then
enter only the good voter list.
3) Compile a voter history, about each registered voter

4) Use the races that were used to determine turnout
5) Have volunteers obtain the histories kv going to the to,,N-n h2li and marking which
races each voter voted input this information into the database
6) Add other important information such as membership in endorsing, organizations, funders,

volunteers
7) Use the computer to Pull out the good voters by using a formula which includes several
variables. The formula will determine the most likely list of good voters should be voters
for your election, this I at least as large as the turnout number. (Remember to exclude voters
from the other party if you are looking at a primary.)
a) For instance, you might want to target those voters who voted in at least 2 of
the last 4 comparable races

b) You might also want to throw into the formula: volunteers, funders, members
of endorsing organizations, family & friends voters with similar ethnicity,
voters from the candidate,,, precinct and/or to%k-n. ne%%-Iv registered
voters
C) Remember that each voter added to the good voter list represents a likely
voter; however, it also means additional resources must be spent contacting
and persuading them.
Ill. TARGET VOTERS: SPEND YOUR RESOURCES WISELY
A) Set goals for votes needed from each precinct. ward. and town
1) Determine your candidate’s strengths and weaknesses as well as your opposition's
2) Relay this information with the findings from the comparable race, to help determine
your goals b\- . precinct
3) Add non-geographic categories to the matrix; for example, if ethnic' is a factor the
computer can help factor this into the precinct go-al;
1. Understand the difference between iding voters and persuading them, in other \,words.
resource allocation. For example, voters in the same precinct will probably not need to know
much about your candidate, a simple question about who they will vote for is enough.
Voters in another town will need much more information and will need to be persuaded.
Deciding how resources are matched against various voter categories is extremely important.
C) Establish a voter ID system -- building your GOTV list
IV. KEEPING YOUR LISTS - A FEW 'TIPS
A) Keep the candidate away from the computer
B) Find a computer jock

C) Backup your system several times every day when data entry is being done
D) Always have several generations of back-ups with at least one kept at a different
location
E) Obtaining phone numbers
F) Saving money on postage -- carrier route presort
G) NCR forms for GOTV

VOTER CONTACT: PERSUASION, ID AND GOTV
CONTACTING THE VOTER
A) Characteristics of successful voter contact

1) Planned
2) Repetition
3) Selective
4) Measured
5) Persuasion
B) Types of contact
1) Direct
2) Indirect
C) Developing strategies for voter contact

1) Develop a field plan early on
a) Timeline
b) Volunteer resources
C) S resources
d) # of voter "hits' by. voter category and by type of contact
2) Persuasion versus identification
3) Swing- voters (AKA 'unidentified"); most field resources be spent on these voters
DIRECT-VOTER CONTACT -- CANVASSING
A) Candidate door-to-door
B) Volunteer door-to-door
C) Phone
III. INDIRECT VOTER CONTACT -- LITERATURE
A) Dear friend cards
B) Follow-up cards, letters from canvass to Is, 2s & 3-s

C) Targeted mailings
1) Issue
2) Ethnicity
3) Geography,
4) Is, 2s & 3s
D) Leaflet drops; hot and cold
IV. MEASURING PERFORMANCE -- POL.LING
V. G 0 TV
A) GOTV
1) Is &- 2s
2) Preparing- for "full pulls" (all registered voters except 4s)
B) GOTV organization
1) Election day- coordinator
2) Phone bank- coordinator and callers
3) Door knockers
4) Numbers" person
5) Precinct houses/captains
6) Palm carvers/greeters/sign holders
7) Poll checkers
8) Runners
9) Coffee runners
10) Drivers

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Campaign Strategy Plan

Tomás Alberto Avila

Drafting of a Campaign Plan

Candidate strengths and weaknesses

What makes you an attractive candidate?

What attributes are you going to emphasize in your campaign?

What areas are you vulnerable?

How do you plan to protect yourself in these areas?

What makes him an attractive candidate?

What attributes is he going to emphasize in his campaign?

What areas is He vulnerable?

How do you plan to exploit these areas?

What is the district political history?

What is the demographics?

What is the analysis of past elections?

Who wins and why?

What is the political parties performance?

What is the swing/switch vote?

How do you plan to capitalize on it?

What is the projected turnout

© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 2

How many votes are needed to win (50% +1)?

How many identified supporters do you need to win?

What message will drive your campaign?

What impression do you want voters to have of your candidacy?

What will be your consistently repeated slogan?

communicate your message?

How many volunteers will be needed to complete each activity?

What is the schedule for making these contacts?

What organizing do you feel is needed to make this plan work?

Direct Mail Campaign

© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 3

How many “district wide” mailings do you plan to do?

What mail will you sent to targeted constituencies?

Will you need bilingual brochures?

What is the schedule hit date?

What is your plan for building relationship with local reporters?

Does it make sense for you to use paid media?

If so, what is your paid media strategy?

What are your weekly cash-flow needs?

What are sources for fund-raising?

How do you expect to expand your fund-raising base?

What specific strategies will you use?

What is your schedule for direct mail solicitation and events?

Where will your “disaster dollars” come from

Who will make decisions in your campaign?

© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 4

coordinator, absentee ballot coordinator, press secretary etc.?

Who will you involve in making decisions?

© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 5

© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 6

Message: Developing a Winning Message

Developing Your Message

1. What are my strengths and weaknesses?

Answer these questions with regards to your opponent.

Defining the Race

1. What are the issues facing the district?

2. What do the voters care about?

3. What is this election race going to be about?

© 1998-2006 Milenio Associates, LLC 7

The Message Box

Your Message Opponents Message

What do we say about them? What do they say about us?

_ Potential Volunteers _ Potential Donors

_ These i.d.s have been entered on database by: _____________________