The Campaign Workshop Blog

GOTV:  Get Out The Vote - Voter Turnout Strategies 

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) or Voter turnout, describes a campaign strategy for candidates or organizations to get eligible voters to head to the polls or return their ballots by Election Day,  GOTV is an essential part of any campaign strategy and can make the difference between winning and losing an election. There are a variety of ways to improve voter turnout, including  canvassing, campaign mail, digital ads, TV, radio buys, phone and text banking. Learn our tips for Get Out The Vote - Know…

Presidential Election Predictions for 2020 

We are often asked to predict the future in politics—especially when it comes to Presidential Election Predictions However, being a political consultant does not mean being the best judge of what will happen on Election Day. We are determined to help our candidates win, and that can make us less objective in predicting electoral odds than we should be. In other words, wanting to win is not always a predictor of actually winning. Check out our podcast on…

Mail-In Ballot Voter Fraud Is Extremely Rare

Mail-in ballot voter fraud is the biggest problem that doesn’t exist. No one should have to choose between making their voice heard in a pivotal presidential election and risking their life by voting in person during a pandemic. That’s why states have taken measures in 2020 to make mail-in voting easier for and accessible to more voters. This fall, states like California are automatically sending ballots in the mail to all registered voters (rather than just those who explicitly request a ballot).…

Answering Your FAQs about Early Voting in 2020

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we’ve seen a lot of talk recently about early voting in 2020. But early and absentee voting can be very, very different depending on where you live. While there are states that continue to limit absentee voting, early voting, or both, the trend across the country in recent years has been to make it easier for voters to cast a ballot. For instance, some states like New York and Michigan opened up access to early and absentee voting for the 2020 election cycle pre-COVID-…

Political Campaign Staff: Tips to Hire a Great Campaign Team 

Whether you're running for city council or congress, hiring your political campaign staff is an essential part of the electoral success. Managing budgets, raising money, running social media, building field programs, prepping candidates for public appearances, and implementing campaign strategies; the political campaign staff is the backbone of every campaign.  To save yourself from unnecessary stress down the line, it's crucial that you hire a capable staff to run your campaign…

Grow Your Email List if You Want to Win

If you’re running for office, you need to grow your email list, no matter how small the race. Building your list will take a long time, so it’s important to start as early as possible. If you’ve run for office before, you can start by reengaging your old list. If you’re new to campaigns, you can start with your friends and family, but where do you go from there?  How do I add people to my list? Begin with the lowest hanging fruit by ensuring that your website includes an easy way for people to sign up for…

Gang Printing for Your Direct Mail Budget win!

Let’s talk about gang printing and economies of scale. And—lest you think that “economies of scale” sounds boring—let me assure you that there is nothing boring about saving money. As campaigns get off the ground and start building out their plans, they often want to do several pieces of mail, segmenting their targeting universe (because, crosstabs!) and customizing messages across multiple mailers. But then they get the budget and think, “Welp, I forgot about postage and shipping. And oof, the…

Challenges and Opportunities for Women Running for Office 

Since Donald Trump was elected in 2016, we have seen women running for office at all levels of government at an unprecedented rate—and winning. We’ve written ultimate guides for running for office in the past, but running for office as a woman comes with a unique set of challenges and opportunities.  Before we jump right into the challenges and opportunities that come along…

U.S. Post Office Delays & Slow Direct Mail Delivery in the 2020 Election

What is going on at the US Postal Service (USPS)?  Have you experienced post office delays? Beyond the current political dysfunction, USPS has fallen victim to inconsistent funding, under-capitalization, ill-timed cost cutting measures and a lack of respect for the system and its workforce. On top of the ongoing pandemic, USPS will be facing an unprecedented influx of absentee ballots. Some of these vote-by-mail ballots will be in states like New York and Michigan…

Pollster Ben Lazarus on State Legislative Races, COVID-19, and the 2020 Election. 

Pollster Ben Lazarus is currently the Director of Research Solutions at TargetSmart. He is a specialist in state legislative races and works as a principal pollster and analytics consultant for the New Jersey Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus, and the Indiana House Democratic Caucus. We asked him 7 questions on polling in state legislative races.  1. What has changed in the world of political polling since you started…

Advocacy RFP Writing Tips 

The goal for your advocacy RFP should be to compare apples to apples and make the best decision for your organization. Check out our Advocacy RFP Template to determine what questions you should be asking your advocacy consultants in your request for proposals. At The Campaign Workshop, we fill out a ton of advocacy RFPs and have seen a lot of good ones and some not so good ones. The RFP process can often be riddled with unintended…

Alan Rosenblatt and Craig Johnson on Virtual Canvassing and Digital Communications

Craig Johnson and Alan Rosenblatt are both a part of Unfiltered.Media, where Johnson is the co-founder and Rosenblatt is a partner. Together they have more than 35 years of experience in digital communication. Now, more than ever, virtual canvassing has become essential for the success of campaigns. Here are the 7 questions we asked them to gather their insights on…

*Credit to Lalo Alcaraz for the book cover

All About Chuck Rocha’s New Book, Tío Bernie, and Latino Outreach

Chuck Rocha has been doing ground-breaking work from the start. At 29, he was the first person of color named National Political Director of the United Steelworkers of America (USW). In 2010, Rocha left USW and founded Solidarity Strategies, a Latino-owned and operated political consulting firm. In 2016 and 2020, he worked for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign,…

Make Sure to Include a Timeline in Your Advocacy RFP Template

Using an advocacy RFP template can help streamline the process of hiring the right partner for your next project. The exercise of filling out the template should help you identify your goals, any constraints on the project, and strengths and weaknesses in your organization that you’ll need to be aware of to get your project out the door. One critical area to think through at the outset is your…

Political Direct Mail Starts with Paper Stock

Any printer can give you paper—commonly referred to as “stock”—that is lying around the shop. But when it comes to what paper stock is available for your political direct mail, there are as many choices as there are types of drinks at your favorite coffee shop. Each paper type has specific characteristics that influence printability, color, texture, and price. So, don’t order a pumpkin spice…