What about a website?

What about it? Do you have your website up for your 2014 campaign? There are services like Nationbuilder and even do-it-youself web kits, but whatever you use, make sure you work with a design consultant who knows campaigns and can integrate the look and feel of yours on your website. You don't want a site that looks off the shelf when it's easy to get a custom look with good graphics, your brand (or logo) and readable, informative content.

This candidate put his ballot statement on a webpage

Then all your materials should have your web address prominently listed for people to refer to to get more information on your campaign.

Make sure the fonts are large, the colors bright, but not hallucinogenic, and the whole thing scalable for easy viewing on a phone or tablet.

Link to the site from your Facebook page. (You do have a Facebook page don't you?) and when those web ads go up (more about them later), have them link back to the site when people click on them.

And make sure you have your name on every page. If you're in a field with many candidates for the same office, people won't start confusing your positions with those of the opponents when they're scrolling through sites.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has campaign photo taken by County Sheriff

In a surprise move, Texas Governor, and Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry turned himself in to the Travis County Sheriff's department on Tuesday, because "I just can't get a good campaign photo taken."

He then posed in suit and power tie, smiling and confident against a plain blue backdrop normally used to photograph hardened criminals after arrest.

"I chose this venue because I know these guys are pros," said Perry. Heck, they take pictures all day. I knew they woulkd capture my essence perfectly."

It was of only minor irritation to the Governor that he had to resort to getting himself indicted in order to avail himself of the services of the County Jail employees. In a clever move, he threatened to veto funding for pesky Travis County District Attorney, Rosemary Lemberg, who had been thorn in his side for years. In fact, just last year he cut off much of the funding for the Public Integrity Unit, which is charged with investigating all sorts of fraud and abuse of the public trust. Perry's old buddy, former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, was the subject of a corruption investigation in 2005, forcing him to resign his position.

"We finally got that lady dead to rights, drunker'n a skunk that fell into a vat of anti-freeze," said the Governor. Then he followed through with his veto pen to "veto funding for the Travis County-based Public Integrity Unit." 


Perry's indictment was for abuse of power, a charge he vehemently denies. "If anyone misused their power, it was that alkie DA. and her poking around into government affairs."

Perry neglected to mention that two other DA's had similar drunk diving offenses had been let off the hook, while Lemberg was de-funded.

“The key difference was that one of the DAs was investigating his administration for corruption and the other two DAs weren’t,” said Democratic strategist Jason Stanford,according to the Dallas News.

"I never expected all this brou ha ha," said an exasperated Perry. "I only wanted a good picture." At that, he waved from the door of his private jet as he went off on a campaign jaunt amid cheering fans.

Dialing for volunteers

After last night's candidate training given by Marin Women's PAC, I have some more advice to offer the overworked candidate. You need to make even more phone calls! One of the presenters is a local expert in doing field work, or the art of grassroots campaigning. He recommends that the candidate herself take time each week to call volunteers to get them out to walk precincts and come to phone banks.

The best person, says Steve Burdo, of Kathleen Russell Consulting, to roust out the volunteers, is the candidate.

Steve Burdo explaining how to reach out and touch the voters

So while you're dialing for dollars, also take some time to dial for volunteers. Some of these calls will overlap. The potential donor who may not be able to give money may well be able to give some time. So do call and do ask.

The audience listening to panel

Yours truly with the ever handy written materials

Having those bodies on the street and on the phone will help you get your message out to the voters and can make the difference come election day.