Political High

Everyone talks about the election winners.  Makes sense.  They won.  They’re going to courthouses, capitals, and Capitol Hill to go serve us.

But the losers–seems like a harsh word–whose who did not prevail–deserve some praise and attention.

Thank you for running.  You gave the voters the choice of your ideas, your experience, and your personality.  You tested your opponent.

Now, take a few days off.  Wipe your tears.  Get your anger and disappointment out of your system.  Reintroduce yourself to your family.

Then, get back to work on how you’ll win next time.

Here are some thoughts:

• Review your election results precinct by precinct.  What was the turnout?  Where were you strong?  Where were you weak?  Can you identify or relate efforts to results?
• Write thank yous.  Thank EVERYONE who you can identify who helped.  It’s your first campaign piece for the next election.
• Pay your campaign bills.  Now.  Leave no vendor unpaid.  They will talk bad about you if you do.
• File your campaign finance reports.
• Hold a debriefing with your campaign staff, top volunteers, and state or local campaign officials.  What do they think worked and didn’t work?
• If you need to make more (fill in the blank here) Party voters to overcome the other side’s registration advantage, get with your state and local party officials and ask them, point blank, what they are going to do with you to help narrow the registration gap.  You can’t start too soon on this.
• Review your campaign plan.  Did you follow it?  If not, why not?  What would you do differently?
• Take down your campaign signs.  Many localities have a deadline.  Plus, people are sick of looking at them.  Do it now.

Thank you again for your hard work, dedication, and being in the democratic fray.  And better luck next time!

We’re less than 48 hours until election day 2008 (November 4, 2008).  What should you be doing?

Frankly, much like studying for a test, it’s better that you went to class, kept up with your reading, and turned in your assignments on time.  You can try to cram, but hey, good luck.  Preparation, planning, and money wins elections.

But just in case, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Report any large campaigns immediately or within the period required by your state or locality.  You don’t want to get fined for not reporting properly or having bad publicity about the same.
• Make sure you’ve implemented as much of your campaign plan (another future post) as you possibly can.
• If you have money left over, who can you now target with a lit drop.  (You need boots on the ground now–it’s too late for mail.)
• If you have access to an opt-in email list, you might consider a GOTV email.
• Make sure you have all your volunteer shifts covered for GOTV, palm card hander-outers, and poll watchers.
• Dress the polling place.  In other words, get your signs up within the legal distance (if allowed by local or state law).
• Stage visibilities on key intersections.
• Relax.  Understand that you are what makes democracy work.

Good luck election day!