ballot language

Why Ballot Language Matters

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

Ballot language for ballot initiatives matters more than anything else and can make or break your initiative from the beginning. It has long been said that ballot measure language can be the difference between winning and losing. Here are some basics on ballot measure wording and how it can make or break your measure.

Four young adults standing in a circle looking at their phones,. Their faces are barely visible.

5 Digital Video Tips for Your Next Ballot Measure Campaign

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

As anyone who’s worked on a ballot measure campaign will tell you, ballot measures tend to fly under voters’ radar. You typically need a strong ground game and a dedicated group of local volunteers to be successful. Most ballot measure campaigns also need an element of voter education and persuasion added to their programs. Without it, many voters won’t understand what the measure does and why it’s important. Ballot measures are often the very last thing on the ballot, so sometimes you simply need to remind voters to fill out the entire ballot or to flip the ballot over.

Ballot Measures

Ballot Measures: Go or No-Go Decisions

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

In today’s political climate of partisanship and mistrust, constituents are turning to the ballot measure process to bypass traditional government controls to pass legislation. 

Signature gathering

Why You Should Start Your Signature Gathering Effort Early

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

For groups and organizations that are interested in getting a measure on the ballot, signature gathering can be a costly, time-intensive, and pain-staking affair. You’ll need to raise the money to pay an expensive field consultant to manage the process for you. There’s a steady unease about hitting your numbers, and all of this is compounded with the stress of knowing that the success of your effort hangs in the balance.

7 Questions with Lewis Granofsky

7 Questions with Ballot Initiative Expert, Lewis Granofsky

by The Campaign Workshop

Lewis Granofsky is a successful and experienced political and grassroots organizer, and a partner at FieldWorks. He has extensive field experience managing ballot initiatives, community-based marketing programs, canvassing, and activist recruitment.

Ballot measure Polling  - pen checking off box in a row of  black square boxes

Ballot Measure Polling

by The Campaign Workshop

We’ve discussed in past blogs that a large part of executing a #winning political campaign is doing your background research, and ballot measure polling is the best way to find out if you can win and how you can win.

Progressive Campaigns Need to Take Risks in 2016

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

It was a great year to go to Vegas for BISC's Road Ahead conference. It’s always a good time to visit Vegas when its 12 degrees in DC. As we leave BISC, it is clear that progressive campaigns have some real challenges. While proactive ballot measures are an important tool to help change the dialogue on issues we care about, they are only one part of a broader set of tactics that progressive campaigns need to engage in.

Your ballot measure here

Qualifying a Ballot Measure

by The Campaign Workshop

Sometimes the most difficult part of a ballot measure campaign is qualifying a ballot measure for the the ballot. Advocacy and political organizations alike have long used the ballot measure (or referendum, question, initiative, etc., depending on where you’re from) as a tool to advance their mission. It’s a way to get the public involved with your issue, and to show widespread support if successful.

Big Ballot Initiative Win for Cincinnati Retirees and Labor!

Big Ballot Initiative Win for Cincinnati Retirees and Labor!

by The Campaign Workshop

I’m sure it’s no surprise to any of you that last Tuesday Terry McAuliffe won the Gubernatorial election in Virginia – though the Attorney General race is still too close to officially call – and Chris Christie easily won re-election in New Jersey. It also likely doesn’t come as a surprise that Bill de Blasio wrapped up a big victory in his election as Mayor of New York City and that Marty Walsh, a former Labor organizer, and current State Representative, won in the first open race for Mayor of Boston in over twenty years. But, I’m guessing not as many people were paying attention to the various ballot initiatives around the country, including the Tea Party-backed Question 4 in Cincinnati that looked to overhaul (read: destroy) the public pension system in the city.