Last Days of the Campaign

What are you doing in these last days before June 7th? You should be reviewing your lists of Yes voters, phoning undecideds, getting rid of those last pieces of campaign materials, send your volunteers to doors they have missed or where no one was home. Get to any events still on your lists.

The last week:

Keep those phone banks going. Are there some last letters to the editor? Ads you might want to get in the press? Don't end the campaign with money in the bank, if you need a last-minute push to get you over the finish line.

The last weekend:

Plan for GOTV on the weekend. Calling your Yes voters to remind them Tuesday is election day. Call the rest of the undecideds. And go ahead and honk and wave. Some volunteers really like it, and it doesn't hurt to remind voters of your name, and the enthusiasm of your supporters.

Plan your election night event. Keep it simple, not lavish. Win or lose, your volunteers deserve a party. But don't squander campaign funds on a big one. You never know when a last minute hit might hit that may warrant a quick response.

Election Day:

Make sure you have key volunteers lined up to go to every polling place with lists of your Yes voters. Have them or other volunteers prepared to call anyone who has not yet voted and remind them to get to the polls. Make sure you have the hours of the polling places and the addresses to give to voters who may be confused. Have someone standing by to offer a ride to anyone needing it.

If it's a hotly contested race, you might have volunteers posted near the polling places to hand out any needed materials (for instance to rebut that last minute hit piece your opponent drops over the weekend). But make sure they are respectful and stay well away from the polling place itself. No campaigning is allowed within one hundred feet any polling place.

At 8 PM, it's over. You've done all you could do. Now take a deep breath, congratulate yourself for a job well done, greet your guests at the party, fire up the computer to get the early results and settle back and wait. It's all over but the counting.

Easy election eats for hungry volunteers: 

Here's a lovely table full of goodies. Have a volunteer prepare some simple snacks or just get them at Costco, add some libations and serve