Political High

It’s small but it’s mighty.

It’s the palm card.

Here in South Dakota, election day palm cards aren’t used much.  I was introduced to them from an East Coast organizer who I worked with on an issues campaign and he said they are part and parcel of elections there.

What is a palm card?  Hotcards.com has a marvelous explanation:

Palm Cards Do it Better

All good palm cards should include:

Front

• Candidate’s name
• Logo
• Candidate’s picture (smile!)
• Any other information relevant to the election or bill that you are hoping to inform voters about, such as dates and political party affiliation.

Back

• • A simple, straightforward list of your major campaign issues. When listing your issues, try to find an effective space between being too wordy and just skimming over important points.

Here in South Dakota, you can’t solicit voters within 100 feet of the polls. So, get a 100 foot length of rope (or whatever it is for your state or locality), stretch it out, and put a mark on the ground. That’s where your volunteers can stand.

Instruct the volunteers to be polite but not too pushy.  Some people don’t want to be bothered before going into the polls.  Others don’t mind as long as it’s friendly.

The palm card is your very last contact with the voter.  In many down ballot races or issues that have not received much attention in the media, this can be a great opportunity to win votes.

Don’t count out this low tech/high touch weapon in your campaign.