POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PLANNING
MANUAL
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO WINNING
ELECTIONS
National Democratic Institute for
International Affairs
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL
Page 2 of 105
The National Democratic Institute
for International Affairs (NDI)
is an international nonprofit
organization
working to strengthen and expand
democracy worldwide. Calling on a global network of volunteer experts, NDI
provides practical assistance to
civic and political leader
s advancing democratic values,
practices and institutions.
NDI works with democrats in every
region of the world to build political and civic organizations, safeguard
elections, and to promote citizen
participation, openness and accountability in government.
Copyright © National Democratic
Institute for International Affairs (NDI) 2009. All rights reserved. Portions
of
this work may be reproduced and/or
translated for no
ncommercial purposes provided NDI is
acknowledged as the
source of the material and is sent
copies of any tr
anslation. Printed in the United
States of America.
2030 M Street, NW
Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202-728-5500
Fax: 202-728-5520
Website:
www.ndi.org
This publication was made possible
through the support provided by the
National Endowment for Democracy
.
The opinions expressed herein are
those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the
National
Endowment for Democracy.
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL
Page 3 of 105
PREFACE
At the beginning of 2009 NDI finds
itself making the fourth version of
this manual, this time for
the Malaysian context. A year after
its hist
oric March 8, 2008 general
election, the Malaysian
government has yet to revise its
laws governing el
ections and campaigning to respond
to the public
call for greater transparency. As
Malaysians work towards a mo
re open process, this handbook
seems timely.
Originally developed a decade ago by
NDI’s staff
team in Russia, this manual has
traveled the
globe numerous times with localized
updates. NDI’s
team of political party experts in
Malaysia
edited the version you hold for th
at specific context. In 2004, I
ndonesia’s candidates ran campaigns
using this manual and, late
r, candidates and their teams simila
rly followed the formula in that
country’s first direct elections
for governors and mayors. In
2007, in the landmark elections
required by the peace agreement in
Aceh after a forty-
year conflict, a more substantial
update to the
manual gave candidates greater
confidence to co
mpete in the ever-changing world of
campaign
politics. The updates made to the
manual reflect
advances in targeting, message
development and
the use of technology in campaigns
in every country
; the lesson for all of
us is that political
campaigning is, quite simply, about
effective pl
anning. Campaigning techni
ques are refined over
time. The lesson of political
practitioners everywhe
re is to learn from each others’
victories and
mistakes. And, to make sure the
campaign we run
is appropriate to the context in
which we are
competing.
As this manual makes clear, campaign
plans aren’t
simply calendars of ac
tivities in an election
campaign; campaign plans are much
more than th
at. Good campaign plans are written
months and
even years prior to elections
so that the party-building and
good governance work required to be
elected or to be re-elected are put
in place with
that clear, strategic goal in mind.
The written
definition of that goal – and the
map of how to
get there – is the essence of any
campaign plan.
This manual will be used by parties
big and small,
established and new, as they draw a
picture of
their future electorate and ways to
engage them
effectively. This manual will also
enable more
women candidates to effectively run
campaigns a
nd get nominated in the face of
substantial
obstacles. Women’s increased
nomination – and elec
tion – will be beneficial to their
parties and
the communities these women will
represent.
Different political parties offer
different analyses of the proble
ms and solutions facing society.
These are the choices put before
voters. But if those ideas are not
communicated effectively, to the
right voters, using appropriate language
and th
rough a medium in which they can be
heard and
acted upon, those parties’ ideas
will not
be represented in parliament. A
campaign plan is about
thinking through the component step
s of a campaign to touch voters in
such a way that they choose
you over the other parties and candi
dates on offer. Many techniques are
the same regardless of
party, electoral system or even c
ountry. But it is in the planni
ng – and subsequent implementation
– that Malaysia’s candidates will
prove to voters
that choosing them is the best
option to keep
Malaysia on a bright and positive
path to the future.
This manual is dedicated to every
brave soul who
agreed to stand as a candidate in
Malaysia in
2008, and in advance to those who
will agree to stand
in the elections to come. You give a
great gift
to your community. Go and ask voters
for their
support in humility, but knowing
with pride that
you have chosen a noble
profession...the
opportunity to serve your neighbor.
Stephanie Lynn
Jakarta, Indonesia
March 2009
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL
Page 4 of 105
Stephanie Lynn
is a Senior Program Director
responsible
for managing NDI’s programs for
Malaysia and
Burma. Programs in Malaysia focus on
support for parlia
mentary and electoral reform. The
Institute's Burma
program focuses on support to the
democracy movement in
its advocacy in Southeast Asia,
Europe and the
United States. Until late 2008,
Stephanie directed the In
stitute’s political party programs
in Indonesia and its
women’s political participation
efforts in Southeast
Asia. Before moving to Indonesia in
2003, Stephanie
managed similar portfolios with
NDI’s
Serbia program for five years.
Living first in Belgrade under the
Milosevic regime and then operating
ground-breaking
programs from neighboring Hungary,
Stephanie was
able to return to Serbia after the
dramatic elections
of October 2000. In her ten years
with NDI, Stephanie
has trained more than 2,000 women
and men from twenty countries, across three continents. A Canadian
native, Stephanie worked as the Exec
utive Assistant to the Minister of
Finance in the British Columbia
government. Prior, she served for
seven years as an
organizer of the BC New Democratic
Party (NDP),
acting as a trainer and election
campaign manager, dur
ing which time she also developed
and delivered
innovative, successful campaigns to
youth voters. Stepha
nie, who earned a BA (Honors) in
Anthropology,
lives in Jakarta with her husband
and their seven year old son.
Telephone: +6017 322 7004
(Malaysia); +62811 933 932 (Indonesia)
Email: slynn@ndi.org
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL
Page 5 of 105
CONTENTS
PREFACE
........................................................................................................................
.................................................
3
CONTENTS.......................................................................................................................
...............................................
5
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................
.........................................
8
STEP ONE:
RESEARCH.............................................................................................................
.................................
10
ELECTION
RULES
..........................................................................................................................
..........................
11
THE
DISTRICT.......................................................................................................................
....................................
11
THE
VOTERS .........................................................................................................................
....................................
11
PAST
ELECTIONS......................................................................................................................
...............................
11
THIS
ELECTION.......................................................................................................................
.................................
12
OUR
CANDIDATE......................................................................................................................
...............................
12
VIABLE
OPPONENTS......................................................................................................................
.........................
12
WORKSHEET
1:
ASSESSING
THE
POLITICAL
LANDSCAPE.............................................................................
13
STEP TWO: S
ETTING A
GOAL.......................................................................................................
..........................
14
WHAT
IS
THE
TOTAL
POPULATION
OF
THE
DISTRICT? ..................................................................................
14
WHAT
IS
THE
TOTAL
NUMBER
OF
VOTERS?.....................................................................................................
14
WHAT
IS
THE
EXPECTED
TURNOUT?..................................................................................................................
14
HOW
MANY
VOTES
ARE
NEEDED
TO
WIN?
.......................................................................................................
14
HOW
MANY
HOUSEHOLDS
DO
THESE
VOTERS
LIVE
IN?...............................................................................
14
BRINGING
IT
ALL
TOGETHER.......................................................................................................................
........
15
WORKSHEET
2:
SETTING
A
CAMPAIGN
GOAL..................................................................................................
15
STEP THREE: TARG
ETING THE
VOTERS...............................................................................................
.............
16
WHAT
IS
TARGETING?
.....................................................................................................................
......................
16
WHY
TARGET
VOTERS?
........................................................................................................................
.................
16
CONSERVING CAM
PAIGN
RESOURCES..................................................................................................
..........
16
PERSUADING TARG
ET VOTERS
.......................................................................................................
..................
16
HOW
TO
TARGET
VOTERS.........................................................................................................................
............
17
GEOGRAPHIC
TARGETING...........................................................................................................
......................
17
DEMOGRAPHIC TARGETING
..........................................................................................................
...................
18
Our Demogra
phic Gr
oups .........................................................................................................
...........................................
19
Their Demogr
aphic
Groups
.......................................................................................................
...........................................
20
PROBLEMS
WITH
TARGETING
......................................................................................................................
.......
20
BRINGING
IT
ALL
TOGETHER.......................................................................................................................
........
20
Explanations
...................................................................................................................
........................................
21
VOTER
ANALYSIS
.......................................................................................................................
............................
21
VALUES.........................................................................................................................
.........................................
21
ATTITUDES......................................................................................................................
......................................
21
ISSUES.........................................................................................................................
...........................................
21
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES ...........................................................................................................
.........................
22
SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
..........................................................................................................
.....................
22
WORKSHEET
3:
GEOGRAPHIC
TARGETING.......................................................................................................
22
WORKSHEET
4:
DEMOGRAPHIC
TARGETING
...................................................................................................
22
WORKSHEET
5:
BRINGING
TOGETHER
ALL
THE
TARGETING
......................................................................
22
STEP FOUR: DEVELOPING
THE CAMPAIGN MESSAGE
.................................................................................
24
CHARACTERISTICS
OF
A
GOOD
MESSAGE........................................................................................................
25
A MESSAGE MUST BE
SHORT........................................................................................................
.....................
25
A MESSAGE MUST BE TRUTHFUL AND
CREDIBLE
........................................................................................
25
A MESSAGE MUST BE PERSUASIVE
AND IMPORTANT TO VOTERS
.............................................................
25
A MESSAGE MUST SHOW
CONTRAST...................................................................................................
.............
25
A MESSAGE MUST BE CLEAR
AND SPEAK TO
THE HEART
...........................................................................
25
A MESSAGE MUST BE TARGETED
.....................................................................................................
................
26
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PLANNING MANUAL
Page 6 of 105
A MESSAGE MUST BE REPEAT
ED AGAIN AN
D AGAIN
...................................................................................
26
WORKSHEET
6:
WHY
ARE
YOU
RUNNING
FOR
THIS
OFFICE?.......................................................................
26
WORKSHEET
7:
THE
MESSAGE
BOX....................................................................................................................
26
WHAT WE SAY ABOUT US
...........................................................................................................
........................
27
WHAT WE SAY ABOUT THEM
.........................................................................................................
....................
27
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US
.........................................................................................................
......................
27
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THEM
.......................................................................................................
..................
27
CREDIBILITY
-
RAISING
YOUR
CREDIBILITY
WITH
VOTERS
AND
LOWERING
YOUR
OPPONENTS’
CREDIBILITY
WITH
VOTERS.........................................................................................................................
........
28
ISSUES
AND
THE
CAMPAIGN
MESSAGE
............................................................................................................
28
Remarks of President-Elect Ba
rack Obama: Election Night
...............................................................................
29
Chicago, IL | November 04, 2008
...............................................................................................................................
..........
29
ISSUE
SELECTION
......................................................................................................................
.............................
32
WORKSHEET
8:
DETERMINING
ISSUE
IMPORTANCE
AND
POSITION..........................................................
32
SOCIOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
AND
MESSAGE
DEVELOPMENT
.......................................................................
34
STAY
ON
MESSAGE........................................................................................................................
.........................
34
STEP FIVE: DEVELOPING
A VOTER CONTACT
PLAN.....................................................................................
36
THE
RULE
OF
FINITE
RESOURCES
......................................................................................................................
.
36
INTERCHANGEABILITY
OF
RESOURCES
AND
METHODS..............................................................................
36
EFFECTIVENESS
OF
YOUR
VOTER
CONTACT...................................................................................................
37
PERSUADE TARGET VOTERS
.........................................................................................................
....................
37
GET OUT THE VOTE
...............................................................................................................
.............................
37
VOTER IDENTIFICATION
...........................................................................................................
.........................
38
TYPES
OF
VOTER
CONTACT
ACTIVITIES...........................................................................................................
38
LITERATURE
DROP................................................................................................................
..............................
39
LITERATURE HANDOUTS
............................................................................................................
.......................
39
MAIL...........................................................................................................................
............................................
39
DOOR TO DOOR
...................................................................................................................
................................
39
PHONING
........................................................................................................................
......................................
40
VISIBILITY
.....................................................................................................................
........................................
41
ENDORSEMENTS
...................................................................................................................
...............................
41
COFFEES
........................................................................................................................
.......................................
41
FRIENDS OF
A FRIEND
............................................................................................................
...........................
41
PRESET EVENTS
..................................................................................................................
.................................
42
CREATED
EVENTS.................................................................................................................
...............................
42
EARNED MEDIA -
THE PR
ESS.......................................................................................................
......................
42
PAID MEDIA - TELEVISION, RADIO AND
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS ................................................
43
INTERNET W
EB
PAGES.............................................................................................................
...........................
44
COMBINING VARIOU
S METHODS
......................................................................................................
...............
44
WORKSHEET
9:
DETERMINING
WHICH
VOTER
CONTACT
METHODS
TO
USE
..........................................
44
CREATING
CAMPAIGN
LITERATURE..................................................................................................................
45
SINGLE TOPIC
...................................................................................................................
...................................
46
ACTION
PHOTOS..................................................................................................................
................................
46
HEADLINES
......................................................................................................................
.....................................
46
BULLETED POINTS
................................................................................................................
..............................
46
BE SPECIFIC
....................................................................................................................
.....................................
46
BREVITY........................................................................................................................
.........................................
