Field Organizing

September 26th, 2009Paid for by Democracy for America,

www.democracyforamerica.com, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s

committee.

Gettysburg, PA

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Your Blueprint for VictoryContains your campaign’s Goals andthe Strategies, Tactics, Timelines,and Benchmarks to achieve them

Person to person voter contact• Delivers a campaign’s message

totargeted voters

• Tactics: Canvass, phone calls, mailliterature drops, etc.

Builds a grassroots volunteer base

A strong FieldOrganization can help

you gain between 3-5%on election day.

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What’s Your Win Number?

Step 1: Project the turnout:

Win Number = (Projected Turnout / 2) + 1Vote Goal = Projected Turnout x .52

Step 2: Set Your Goals

Step 3: Write them down!

% Turnout in last similar election(s)

Current number of registered votersx

Projected

Turnout=

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Targeting Your Resources

Why target?• Limited People, Money & Time• Gets the right message to the right

voters

3 Ways to Target Voters• Geographically• Voter History & Identification• Constituencies

Research Suggestions• Secretary of State • County Elections Board• Party Voter File • NCEC• US Census data

Calculate Your Vote Goals

 

Current Registrati

on

Turnout % in last similar election

Turnout

Estimate

for curre

nt election

Win

Number =

50% + 1

Vote Goal

= 52%

Precinct # 1 740 32%

Precinct # 2 446 55%

Precinct # 3 463 51%

Precinct # 4 599 43%

Precinct # 5 686 42%

Precinct # 6 1,002 48%

DistrictTotals

3,936 44%

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Democratic Performance Index

‘Percentage of the vote an average Dem can expect in an average election’ Based on voting history NOT voter registration

How to calculate D.P.I

About NCEC

Democratic % in similar election # 1

+ Democratic % in similar election # 2

+ Democratic % in similar election # 3

/ 3 = D.P.I.{ }

 

Dem

Performance

%

Est.

Dem.

Turnout

Vote

DifferencePersuasion

%Swing

Voters

Precinct # 1 69% 12%

Precinct # 2 21% 8%

Precinct # 3 36% 33%

Precinct # 4 43% 19%

Precinct # 5 38% 39%

Precinct # 648% 21%

DistrictTotals

43% 22%

 

Final Vote Goal

Persuasion Ranking

GOTV Ranking

Precinct # 1 196

Precinct # 2

Precinct # 3

Precinct # 4

Precinct # 5

Precinct # 6

DistrictTotals

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Field Targeting Strategies

DEM BASE PRECINCTS- D.P.I. = greater than 65%- Identification, voter registration, volunteer recruitment, GOTV

REPUBLICAN BASE PRECINCTS- D.P.I. = less than 35%- Lowest priority, highly targeted contact only

SWING PRECINCTS - D.P.I. = between 35% and 65%- Identification, Persuasion & GOTV

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Targeting with Voter History

Voter Contact Priorities

A. Undecideds likely to Vote (ID, Persuasion)

B. Supporters less likely to vote (ID, GOTV)

C. Undecideds less likely to vote (ID, Persuasion, GOTV)

D. Supporters likely to vote (Base building)

FEENever Vote

(0x4)

FC

Persuasion #2

B

Sometimes Vote

(2x4)

(0x0)

FAPersuasion

DBase

Always Vote (4x4)

Strong Opponent

(5)

Undecided

(2, 3, 4)

Strong Supporter

(1)

Partisanship ID

Vot

ing

His

tory

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Look at your candidate and message

Meet with community leaders early

Build bases of support

Seek endorsements

Target niche media

Targeting with Constituencies

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Conversations win Elections

Phone Calls & Canvassing:• Deliver a campaign’s

message to targeted voters in a personable way

• Give the campaign valuable information about the voter’s preferences

• Allow for a targeted field

campaign

Yard signs belong in Yards, NOT street corners

Voter Preference Targeting

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Canvassing

Know your turf

Prepare your canvassPackets

Train your volunteers Provide ‘context’ Explain the Canvass Packet

Materials Review scripts, responses

and coding instructions Role Plays!

Sample Canvass Packet Scripts Walksheets Maps Campaign Lit Candidate FAQ Goodie bags (food, water,

stickers, etc)

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Phonebanks

Your most versatile voter contact tactic• High number of contacts• Two way communication

Ideal for voter identification, persuasion, & GOTV

Drawbacks:Lower impact than canvassingIncreasingly difficult to reach voters

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Yard Signs and Visibility

Shows supporters and donors your support baseReminds supporters of their supportNo more than 1% of budget spent on visibility

Drawbacks:Signs don’t vote (just ask Ron Paul) Often overemphasized at expense of more effective tactics