radiofriendly
Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
- Messages
- 1,107

I know most of us have already covered this, but there may be some new folks, I hope so!
Don't be sidetracked from proven techniques for winning elections. The way campaigning works is a combination of phone banking and canvassing.
The first time you reach someone (by phone or in person) you determine:
1. Are they a likely voter in the Republican primary?
2. What issue(s) most motivates them?
If you have time--and right now we do--you don't even necessarily reveal the candidate at this point.
You contact them again in person hopefully within 2 weeks (it's called canvassing) and you now drop off a flyer or brochure that addresses their motivating issue. The fall-back is a general flyer that covers vague basics about the candidate. You seek to build rapport with them, asking a few open-ended questions (not yes/no), listen to them and end with a short personal appeal to them about how your chosen candidate answers their motivating issue. Ask them if your candidate can depend on their vote on election day.
Any other programs that send a flyer without any knowledge about the potential voter (are they even a voter?) are largely a waste of time. I think you'll find that a vast majority of people who have actually worked on winning campaigns will agree with me here.
*Sign waves. Don't even get me started! The only reason for them--and it is a valid reason--is to let your volunteers let off some steam and have a little fun. For some reason, political nuts love waving signs at masses of cars and proceed to interpret every honk as a new voter for their candidate of choice. No, they are just honking because they think you are funny. If you are an activism leader, teach your volunteers about the real effective activism and don't allow 100s of hours to be wasted waving signs at anonymous cars. Remember, statistically these are not likely Republican voters.
We all have limited time. That time is best served reaching people who are likely to vote in a Republican primary. Learning this, believe me I know, is a humbling experience.