The act of campaigning is often an opaque process that can discourage Americans from running for any level of office—whether city, state, or federal—simply because of a lack of knowledge about the practice; however, even those who have had experience as a candidate or member of a campaign may find strategizing for a win difficult to navigate. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is helping to improve transparency on campaigning through a new series of study guides and video streams that teach “How to Win Elections,” which are featured on UIC’s Chicago Politics website (sponsored by the Great Cities Institute and the Political Science Department). Targeted for both students and community members alike, the videos outline in detail the steps of a campaign, from its very beginning stages to winning on Election Day. The following is an overview describing what is presented in each video.
In the Beginning
The campaign structure is fundamental for reaching the goal of attracting the largest number of voters. As such, it is important to strictly manage the election calendar, the components of the committee, the budget, the campaign office, volunteer cards, and the schedule.
Raising the Dough
Fundraising is crucial to building a successful campaign and should be the candidate’s first priority. The candidate must identify and cultivate potential campaign donors and then make the calls himself/herself to raise the money.
Getting out the Message
A credible candidate campaigns with a consistent message and uses the media to his/her advantage in making that message public. The candidate should have an organized press list and use social media and a campaign website in order to increase his/her visibility.
Campaign Finance Disclosure
Managing campaign contributions and disclosing funds is an important part of the campaign that must be awarded significant attention in order to remain within legality. Accurate records should be kept for the sake of transparency and reliability.
How to Get on the Ballot and Stay There
A candidate must petition and submit the necessary forms in order to have his/her name appear on the ballot. It is helpful during the petitioning process to acquire more signatures than necessary in case any are successfully challenged.
Grow Your Own Voters
Following a successful petitioning process, a registration drive should be organized to encourage those who were identified as unregistered voters during door-to-door petitioning to register to vote. Information regarding registration opportunities, the election date, and the candidate and his/her campaign office should be included.
Running your Precinct
Canvassing is perhaps the most important part of the campaign, for it identifies those voters who are most likely to vote for the campaign’s candidate and attempts to convert any undecided voters. The goal is to get favorable voters to the polls on election days.
How to Win on Election Day
On the day of the election, precinct workers should be assigned roles such as “runner,” “watcher,” and “passer” so as to maintain coverage of the precinct and make sure registered voters are reaching the polls. It is also important that a pollwatcher observe the election’s proceedings and ensure that everything occurs within legality.
This series is particularly useful for those who are interested in working for a campaign or those who might be interested in entering the political field as a new candidate. The videos help to make accessible the campaign procedure and encourage public participation in the process. In addition, the series may also prove useful to voters, as it educates its audience on the functioning of a campaign and the necessity of workers canvassing for votes. The “How to Win an Election” series ultimately supports and promotes civic engagement at every level of a campaign and encourages citizens to become more involved in the election process.
