Field, Grassroots Organizing
&
Direct Voter Contact
Pre-Qualification Opportunities
• Capitalize on signature gathering efforts
• Utilize partners and partner data
• Create coordination systems and accountability
• Ongoing development of your voter file/data
• Educate and ID Voters
• Don’t just wait for opponents to qualify
Planning your Field Campaign
Field Impacts:
3-5% Margin Statewide
5-10% Margin for Municipalities
If it isn’t written down, it doesn’t exist.
•Learn before you write
• Measure your results
• Detail every activity: time, date, location
Managing Limited Resources
People
Time
Money
©
Elements of a Field Plan
Political
Landscape
Targeting Info
and Vote Goals
Voter Contact
Program
Budget
Data Management
Plan
Timeline/Calendar
Targeting: The Basics


Identifying your target audience is at the heart
of grassroots organizing.
Identify new voters to increase your margin of
victory
How many votes does it take to win?
GOAL: Expected Vote X 50% of the vote + 1
Comfortable Margin of Victory is 52%
Target Chart
Support
Turnout
Base Vote
Persuadable
Voters
A
Always
Vote
C
Sometimes
Vote
A
B/C
GOTV
Persuasion #2
D
F
Never
Vote
Persuasion
Opposition
Voters
F
F
F
Basic Elements of Voter Contact

Targeting – Identifying your voters

Voter File – Tracking voters

Direct Voter Contact – Reaching out to Voters
through direct communication. ID the ones that
support you and get them to the polls!
Types of Targeted Voters



Base/Supportive Voters
 GOAL: Maximize turnout
Persuadable Voters
 GOAL: Move to them to your position
Opposition Voters
 GOAL: Figure out who they are, where they live and never
go there!!!
Targeting and Data
The more information on your voter file, the
more targeted your universes can be!






Geographic – urban, suburban, rural
Demographic – party id, race, gender, age
Precinct data
Polling
Commercial Data/Modeling
Data communicating with voters
Common Direct Voter Contact
Tactics
ID and Educate Voters via:
 Canvassing
 Mail
 Phones
 Online
 Constituency Organizing
Avoid Wild and Crazy Ideas
Grasstop and Influential Organizing





Identify “grasstop” leaders and “influentials”
Organize “grasstop” leaders when looking for
endorsements
Target community leaders or “influentials”
“Influentials” create positive word-of-mouth
persuasion
Develop program to ID and engage “influentials”
Is a Vote By Mail (VBM) Program Right
for Your Campaign?





Cost-benefit analysis
Use volunteers wherever you can
Be realistic
High-end program/low-end program
If you can’t afford a good VBM program, don’t waste
your time.
Get Out The Vote: Plan from Day 1
Encourage Early
Voting and Vote by
Mail
Organize your
data and make
lists
ID GOTV
Targets
Organize
volunteers
Determine Tools and
Tactics
Plan transportation and
communications
Implementing Field Tactics
Details Matter: Time, People, Money
 Numbers have to be real (no street money)
 Local faces, Local Messengers
 Professional and Accountable Operations
 Get the Data! Use the Data!
 Plan to use Field, Don’t wait to Plan Field

AND REMEMBER. . .
Go!
Fight!
Win!
Lewis Granofsky
FieldWorks
2528 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC
202-667-4400
[email protected]