Quite Simply My Favorite Infographic Ever

I know I've said this before, but I love how simply the picture puts it. If you knock someone's door and make contact on election day, they are 10% more likely to turn out AND any registered voter in that person's home EVEN if you don't speak to him/her is 6% more likely. Door hangers increase turnout by 1%.

Powerful stuff!

Some OFA Staffers Complain About Inauguration Snub

Read about it here!

For what it's worth there are lots of former OFA people who are working on the inaugural committee. And guys, I gotta say, whether I agree with them or not, it is not good form to complain publicly and vocally on the internet about the people who are in the position to give you your next job. I've been pretty obviously absent from the PIC stuff because other than the opportunity get drunk and wear a fancy dress, I care very little about it, so I can't speak on the subject one way or another. I can say that "don't talk to the press" more or less extends to after the campaign, into your candidate's term of office, if you know what's good for you.

Said one former OFA staffer, "I'm a bit of an ass. I consider it to be a part of my charm. However, you don't go into this thinking that you'll get something out of it. Hell, I was happy I had healthcare."

Ask An Election Nerd: How Do I Break Into Communications?

This is by far the most frequently asked question on my blog or maybe it just feels this way because my answer is "I have no freaking clue." Like working on the hill, or running for office, working in communications is one of those campaign worker fetishes I just don't understand. Look forward to a post on my intense dislike and suspicion of the press later this month.

Luckily I am blessed with many friendships within our little subculture and as Bob Einstein says to Jerry Seinfeld in a delightful episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee you are never too big to use your friends. (Watch that show, by the way. I have been home sick all day watching it and it is hilarious.) So, I asked Communications Guru and ultimate FOCS, Austin Webster, to help us out. This is seriously great and well thought out advice. Please feel free to tweet Austin and thank
_____________________________________________________________________________________

1) Who are you?

My name is Austin. I live and work in Sacramento, California as an agency public affairs and legislative relations staffer for the state. Additionally, I do consulting for political communications and strategy for various Democratic candidates and elected offices. I have been a part of at least one campaign every year since I was 16, and have experience working in local, state, and federal elections. I’ve done everything from volunteering and field manager to communications director and campaign manager.

2) What is the difference between communications on a campaign and in a legislative office?

There are a number of differences between communications on a campaign and for a member of the legislature (or any other elected official). On a campaign, communications staff focuses more on the candidate. This means a lot of messaging, managing the constant media flow, and a very high level of intensity from start to finish. This also encompasses a lot of other things like designing lit, ads, and getting your candidate as much face time with the press as you can. Your number one goal is to win the election.

Communications in an office tends to be focused a little less on the person and more about the bills authored or sponsored by your member. Once elected, the legislation proposed or passed by your member basically speaks on their behalf. Communications is handled differently for each office, depending on the rank of your member. A Speaker, Pro Tem, or party leader will often have 1 or more communications staff where as a freshman member usually has their communications handled by their Chief of Staff. Some offices leave a majority of their communications to their district offices. Another key difference is you will often work with other offices (mostly from your party) to draft a cohesive message on a bill or issue.

Regardless of campaign or office however, both situations have one common element: your job is to make your candidate/member look good and keep their name known to voters. Remember, even if you just won, the next election cycle is already right around the corner.

3) What do you do in a typical day?

On a typical day, either on the campaign trail or in a legislative office, I try to start by reading over any news that may have been run that morning about my candidate/member. If you have staff, it is great to have someone put together a report for you highlighting anything of interest. If you don’t have staff, I recommend using Google alerts in addition to checking the major media outlets in your area. If you are senior staff on a campaign, you will likely spend a great deal of your day in meetings, talking to the press, or attending events with your candidate. Mid-level communications staff will be doing a lot of the day to day work of drafting press releases, managing social media, etc. On smaller elections, where you may be the only communications staff, it is really just a balancing act.

If you work in a legislative office, always try to get at least 5-10 minutes face time with your member first thing, even if it is just to touch base. Many members will try to do a daily briefing with their COS and Communications Director, but during session it can be difficult to find the time to meet for an extended period more than once a week. As I mentioned, a lot of your day will be centered around responding to press inquiries about legislation or working on other projects your member may be pushing at the time.


4) How do I get a job in communications a) on a campaign b) in a legislative office?

a)Much like Nancy says in her post about finding your next campaign, getting a position in communications on a campaign is mostly about finding a “sponsor”. Many communications staffers start out as vols, interns, or FOs who express interest in communications early on and have a member of the senior staff who is willing to support them. Drafting a few good press advisories or designing an awesome piece of lit can get you in the door, but it ultimately comes down to someone being willing to tell your candidate or CD that you can do the job.

b)Positions, communications or otherwise, in legislative offices can be incredibly difficult to get at times. I currently work with a member of the California State Senate, and many of the positions within the state legislature are filled without being advertised anywhere. Often, staffers will pass the word of a vacancy along to people they feel may be interested and the position is filled that way. If a job makes to the point it gets posted, it often isn’t well paying or for a member you want to work for. In other words, it’s who you know.

If you are dead set on working for the legislature and didn’t get brought on when your candidate won, try getting an entry level legislative aide or reception position. Always be sure your values are a least mostly in line with your member or you may find yourself working on legislation you don’t believe in or are totally against. If you can’t find a member or open position, drop off a resume and ask to intern. A few months of an internship with the right member can help you get in with other offices much easier than being an external applicant.

5) What skills are transferable between communications and field?

A lot of the skills you need for field are transferable to communications. It can be a lot of long hours, high energy, and a lot of interacting with people. I think you need to be dedicated, believe in your candidate, and be good at talking to people to do both jobs.

6) What's the biggest difference between communications and field?

It may be because I started in field and still love it, but I always try to think of communications and field as being two sides of the same coin (or whatever analogy works best here). Field and communications are all about getting your candidate’s name recognition up. The biggest difference is how. Field staffers go to the voters to give them the information, where as communications tends to be enticing the press to come to you to get the information. Communications staff also determines the message that field delivers, but both are integral pieces of the same program. I am sure other communications and field staffers would have a different opinion, but that just tends to be how I look at it.

7) What else should we know?

A few tips:

•Communications on a campaign is all about your message. Design a strong message, stick to it. Your message should answer “Why is your candidate running?” and should be incorporated into everything that your campaign sends out.

•Keep your messaging, slogan, and lit simple and consistent.

•Nancy and I joke about it quite often, but I am completely serious when I say field staff should NEVER talk to the press without expressed permission. Instruct your field staff that if a reporter approaches them in the field that they should give the reporter your contact info, a piece of lit, and politely tell them to get in touch with you.

•If you are on the communications staff, every other staff member (campaign or legislative office) should know how to get in touch with you. Your email, phone, and cell phone number.

•Always respond to press inquiries ASAP. Know your press corps and don’t play favorites.

•Don’t hide your candidate from the press and don’t shy away from negative press. Bad press is a political fact of life, have a game plan for every potential negative situation and get out ahead of it when it breaks. Bad press will not just blow over.

•Have fun and be creative, but don’t go overboard. Voters like something that is new and fresh but not something that is too far from the norm.

•Remember that your job is all about managing perceptions. We all know the semi-organized chaos that a campaign really is, but most voters don’t. If your campaign at least looks well run from the outside, it can win a lot of voter confidence in your candidate.


I feel like I put a ton of information on here, but also feel like I barely scratched the surface. If there are specific questions you guys have from the campaign trail or other communications things you are interested in please let me know and I’d be more than happy to answer them. You can either contact Nancy or contact me directly at my contact info below. Good luck out there!
_____________________________________________________________________________________

You can bother Austin @AustinJWebster on Twitter.

Second Time Around

Take it from a pro, there's nothing quite like the first time. You're awkward, you're nervous, you don't know quite what to expect, but somehow it's just so magical. It's the first time you work on a campaign.

Many of my favorite followers are embarking on their second campaign adventure, or considering doing so and I wanted to offer my sage advice. Don't get me wrong you should absolutely keep campaigning, I'm just telling you to go into things with your eyes open.

My second race was that oft blogged about cautionary fail, the Edwards campaign. Aside from you know choosing the wrong candidate, one of the biggest mistakes I made was going into the 2008 Caucus without the open mind that I had on my first race. When I joined the Minnesota Coordinated Campaign in 2006 I didn't even know that we wouldn't have days off, I naively thought that I would get to choose between canvassing and call time and I had never (knowingly) met a union member. I look my Regional's word as gospel, because I had nothing else to go on, I canvassed like every door could mean the election despite my candidate's persistent 20 point lead and I loved every minute of it.

Here is where we have to have a heart to heart. If you have only worked on one campaign, even if you have worked on that campaign for multiple years in multiple states (cough, cough OFA) prepare yourself. Not every election is the same and the wisdom that you've acquired, while valuable is not exhaustive. Take the following into account when choosing/embarking on your next race.

1) It's not the size of the election, It's how you use it. It's the age old debate, national/federal vs. local elections. Local campaigns criticize bigger organizations for trying to force a national model where it doesn't belong. Larger races often feel that local candidates and campaign staff can be too big for their britches especially when it's the big campaigns that bring major resources to the table. I've said it before and I've said it again, no campaign is more important than any other. Many people never make the the switch between local and federal because of these prejudices. Having done both, let me pro/con this ish for you a little bit.

A larger campaign offers more of the big family feeling, for obvious reasons. Often big campaigns provide more national/larger scope networking opportunities and your candidate will have more name recognition and more resources. If you're looking to manage staff there are more opportunities on a big campaign and you will likely have more staff under you.

A smaller campaign tends to be more self-directed (for better or for worse) and further removed from national organizations. Staff members tend to wear more than one hat, have more responsibility and more access to the candidate, so it's a great way to get exposure to different aspects of campaigning if you've only ever done field or finance. It's also more about retail politics (your candidate will attend lots of small, local events) and local issues. If you have a big interest in policy, in general the more local your campaign the more people who do pay attention to your race (and there will be fewer) will be concerned about your candidate's stance on the issues beyond national policy affiliation.

No matter which you choose, leave your prejudices about other campaigns behind. The best coordinated campaign is one that truly coordinates.

2) You are not special. No matter which campaign you worked on last election, however much of a rockstar you were or whatever your relationship with your previous bosses, realize that you are starting from scratch here.

I was blessed to fit in seamlessly coming in last on my first race in Minnesota. I had a great relationship with my boss, my volunteers, and my coworkers and was able to impress everyone with the work ethic and energy I brought in for the last few months. At the same time, I was cursed with this hubris going into Iowa for a longer and different campaign. I took myself entirely too seriously and did not prepare (despite warnings) for the marathon as compared to the sprint I was used to. Recognize that this is a different race and you will have to prove yourself all over again. This means going in with an open mind, sitting back and listening and being flexible.

If this is your second campaign no matter how good you are there is no way you don't have something to learn. In time you'll come to see what works for some races and not others, what's universal, and what kind of leadership structure works for you. However once you've taken this job, you're there. Check your preconceived notions at the door and just as you did on your first race, in time you'll find your niche and the best ways to contribute your own style and opinions.

3) Hitch your wagon to the right star. It is surprisingly easy to get stuck as a perpetual field organizer. Last cycle someone had the gall to offer me a deputy RFD position despite the fact that I had 3 years more experience than her. YOU need to take responsibility for the direction of your career because as Ace of Base says, "no ones gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong."

It is tempting when you feel particularly campaignsick to take the first offer that seems somewhat reasonable, but I urge you to be judicious. Especially if you're thinking of making a career out of electoral politics, think about what you need to get you there. If you want to break into communications, find a race that will give you exposure to press either as a deputy on a particularly large campaign or on a smaller race where the CM will let you draft press releases.

If you want management experience, who is most likely to help you foster those skills and be in a position to promote you on your next campaign? One of the toughest career decisions I ever made was turning down a job working for my favorite boss because an acquaintance offered me a better region with more responsibility. Don't confuse a mentor (someone who can give you great advice and who you seek to emulate) for a sponsor (someone who will spend political capital to help you advance your career). Loyalty is a two way street.

That said, don't underestimate the value of a great boss. If you have a good opportunity with someone you work well with by all means take it. If you don't know your potential supervisor, find out. The same way your employer will ask around about your reputation ask a trusted former boss or someone with more experience about your potential boss. It's important to work for someone who respects your talent and experience and from whom you can learn.

I cannot wait to hear about your latest successes and find out where you all wind up!

Happy New Year!

-Nance

Oh Canada, Part 2 (Deux in Montreal)

Another perspective on Canadian campaigns, this time from an anonymous follower. Enjoy below!
_____________________________________________________________________________________Hello american political operatives looking to get involved in campaigning in the great white north,

In Canada there are three levels of government municipal, provincial and federal. I’m assuming most of you Americans would be looking to get involved in either a provincial or federal race.

If you’re looking to get into a more local race, you’ll end up in what we call a constituency. Federally there are 308 constituencies and each is represented by an MP, which stands for member of parliament. Provincially, there are ten provinces and number of constituencies ranges from 30-110 depending on the size. Those constituencies are represented by an MPP which stands for member of provincial parliament.

When an election is called there is a writ period of 36 days. Usually federal and provincial elections occur every 4 years. What is important to note is that there are no set election dates. As well, if the party in power does not hold a majority and is operating in a minority government an election can be called at any time and a snap election can occur before their four years are up.

So let’s say that we’re in a writ period in a province or nation wide. In each constituency candidates will set up a campaign office. There is usually only one campaign office in each constituency unless it’s a very rural riding in which case there may be more than one. Each campaign usually consists of a team of the campaign manager, canvass chair, sign chair, volunteer coordinator, finance chair, chief of communication and some other positions depending on what is needed. And then there are the various volunteers who come in and are given a range of jobs from door canvassing, phone canvassing, lit dropping, envelope stuffing, GOTVing etc.

Typically if you want to have a paying job on a campaign you will have had to be employed an MP or MPP or the political party the candidate represents pre-writ. Candidates who are not the sitting MP or MPP will most likely have volunteers fill the important jobs of campaign manager, canvass chair, etc. Canada is not like the states in that we have very strict fundraising laws so there is not a lot of money to give our to pay staff.

Now I suppose the last thing to cover is the various political parties. Federally there are five major ones: The Liberal Party of Canada, The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, The New Democratic Party of Canada, The Green Party of Canada and the Bloc Quebecois. Provincially most of these parties have equivalents, however it differs by province.

Feel free to research all the parties. To be honest there is not a singular party that completely matches the Democratic Party in The USA. However I do know that a fair amount of people from the Liberal Party of Canada went down to the states to campaign for Obama. Most Democrats will share most of their values with the Liberal Party of Canada, The Green Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party of Canada and their provincial equivalents.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask them and I’m sure myself and my fellow Canadian political operatives will be able to help you out.

Oh, Canada!

You guys have been asking for information on working on Canadian campaigns and here it is, courtesy of Canado-US campaigner, Joshua Hollenberg (thanks Josh)! Very interesting stuff here I learned a lot. I hope you do too!

_______________________________________________________________________________________


There are two major factors that differentiate Canadian politics from American politics: parliamentary vs. presidential government, and the definition of money as speech.

The best way to describe a Canadian election is as a House of Representatives race, with the President as the leader of the House Dems. A Canadian election is made up of 308 ridings, each contested by representatives of Canada’s political parties. There are 3 major parties that contest every riding (Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic), as well as several fringe/regional parties (Green, Bloc Quebecois). The party that wins the most seats forms government, with the leader of the party as the Prime Minister. There can be majority or minority governments depending on whether the governing party receives more or less than half of the seats in the Legislature. Currently Canada has a majority government, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper leading the Conservative Party of Canada.

Ridings have up to roughly 200,000 people in them, and vary in size, depending on how dense the population is. The smallest is 9 km2, the largest spans three time zones and goes as far north as the North Pole. My experience on urban campaigns was very similar to my experience volunteering for OFA in Durham, NC for the week prior to the 2012 election: all focus and resources go to supporting the field operations, comprised of door knocking and phone calling, run out of a single office. More rural campaigns have several smaller offices in dispersed population centers, or have a greater emphasis on phone calls in remote regions.

The federal party organizations operate above the local campaigns, kind of like a presidential campaign, but without the ground game or singular focus in the lit and messaging. The party leaders, along with other prominent politicians who have national name recognition and are guaranteed to win in their ridings, tour the country making policy announcements, visiting battleground ridings, and using party messaging in media appearances. The federal parties are also responsible for producing and airing ads, maintaining a central database for voter contact and information (imagine NGP VAN was owned and maintained by the Democratic Party), and maintaining contact with the local campaigns through frequent conference calls. The parties also control branding – providing generic lit, websites, messaging, and identifying preferred vendors for lit production, robocalls, and phone banking.

The second major difference is campaign finance. For federal campaigns, personal contributions are capped at $1,100/year/person (including candidates to their own campaigns). Union, corporations, and associations are not allowed to make political donations. In addition to donation limits, campaigns and third parties have spending limits. Local campaigns are limited by a formula based on how many voters are in the riding, and federal parties were limited to $21 million each in the 2011 election. Third parties (defined as individuals or associations) who wanted to run ad campaigns leading up to the 2011 election were capped at under $190,000, and corporations and unions were banned from airing political ads. In addition, non-profit political activity is strictly limited, with the threat of loss of non-profit status if the limits are crossed.

As a result, only the federal parties can produce and air TV ads, as local campaigns face tight budgets and difficulty fundraising. After office rental, computers, printers, office supplies, lit, lawn signs, and robocalls/phone banks, there is very little money left over for additional expenditures. In kind donations must also be accounted for in campaign budgets.

Finally, because Canadian elections do not have fixed election dates, especially with minority governments that can fall at any time, there is no two-year lead up like in the States. Nobody knew if the 2011 federal election was going to happen until the opposition parties actually defeated the government, at which point there were roughly 30 days until Canadians went to the polls. This prevented pre-election spending by local campaigns, and made any attempt at election planning vague at best. Once the election was called, campaigns had to work within the spending limits and hit the ground running.

These rules greatly reduce the influence of money, but it also constrains what the parties, candidates, and staff are able to do. For example, it is very difficult to find a paid position on a Canadian campaign, as every dollar given to a paid vol is a dollar not being spent on lit, phone calls, or (for the federal campaigns) TV ads. The “professional campaigners” that exists in the US are financially impossible in Canada, which is why so many Canadians go south to practice politics. Additionally, the tech machine that was built in Chicago for OFA can’t be truly replicated in Canada, as the infrastructure requirements would dwarf the campaign budgets available to the parties.

There are many differences between Canadian and American campaigns. There is nothing like a presidential campaign in Canada in terms of scope, organization, or spending. There is only one level of government up for election at a time – no coordinated campaigns. We don’t elect our Senators or our judges, and provincial (state) campaigns run on their own schedules. There are no major conventions or massive rallies, as those things cost a lot of money. Parties have programs to track voter contacts and histories, but nothing as intense as Narwhal. Most importantly, all data is religiously tracked and kept, as elections are built around parties, not presidential candidates. From what I saw in the States, the infrastructure built by Obama will have to be rebuilt by his successor; whereas in Canada the parties maintain much more of the organizational structure regardless of party leader.

However, the similarities between the two countries are much more telling than their differences. Both have campaigns with three parts: voter ID, voter persuasion, and GOTV. Door knocking is the primary method of campaigning, supported by phone calls. GOTV wins elections. There is no greater joy than winning, and no disappointment more painful than losing. And most importantly, campaigns are run by amazingly motivated and dedicated volunteers who eat poorly and don’t get enough sleep, but we love them for what they do!

Your Official Campaignsick Store

Hi!!! I am finally done with finals! I wanted to roll this out with a little more pizzazz, but with the Christmas coming up and Hanukkah already over I had to make sure I rolled this out.

So, I made a little Zazzle store. It's nothing fancy and I'm still hoping to add more stuff, but tell me what you think of it! You can shop the store here. Generally I get about at 15% royalty, which is not that much, so if you want to buy these things for my sake, just send me money.But please shop if you like the things I made! Sample of some of the products below. Hope you enjoy!