The Art & Science of Delivering Success at the Polls ACCT - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Art & Science of Delivering Success at the Polls

ACCT Leadership Congress October 18, 2019

Presenters:

• Dr. Tom Quinn

Paul Hanley

MaryAnn Ferrigan

Kirtland at a Glance

2014 Bond Election:

New Health Sciences Center

(Roscommon County)

2018 Mill Levy Election:

Continued Funding of M-TEC & University Center

(Otsego County)

It’s an aging electorate.

Roscommon County – All Registered Voters:

63% - 55+ Years Old

And fiscally conservative. Really conservative.

The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.”

“

Henry David Thoreau

Needs Assessment

Community Outreach

Campaign

Opinion Research

Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

Needs Assessment

Community Outreach

Campaign

Opinion Research

Paid for by Campaign Committee

Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

• Determine Timing

(When should we be on the ballot?) Needs Assessment

Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

What does the polling indicate?

?

Low Turnout vs. High Turnout

? ?

How bad are the voter demographics? Is it urgent? Board Elections? Competing tax measures? Current PR problems?

• Determine Timing
• Key Influencer Database
• Proposal (Plan A & B)
• Financing Plan
• Preliminary Messaging
• Recruit Task Force

Needs Assessment

Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

Needs Assessment

Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

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Kirtland’s “Phase One”

Timing (2018 Gubernatorial)

• Higher turnout
• Tax measures expiring (“urgency”)
• No PR issues
• No board seats up
• No competing tax measures

Proposal:

• New mill levy to replace two levies expiring
• Keep M-TEC/UC fully operational
• 10-year sunset
• Does not go into effect until existing levies expire

Preliminary Messaging:

• Protect dual-enrollment
• Reduce cost of college
• Retain young people
• Lower tax rate
• Benefits military & veterans
• Economic boom requires trained

workforce

Needs Assessment

Community Outreach

“The Listening Tour” Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

Listening Tour Targets

✓ Civic organizations ✓ Business organizations ✓ Municipalities / Government agencies ✓ Non-profits ✓ Political parties ✓ Likely opposition ✓ Other

Listening Tour Facilitators

✓ College President ✓ Paid Facilitator (Trusted Local) ✓ Others

Listening Tour Questions

Script the conversations: ✓ What do you want from your college? ✓ What are your desires? ✓ What are your concerns?

Listening Tour To-Do’s

✓ Listen carefully ✓ Find common concerns, stories ✓ Identify what resonates ✓ Listen for great phrases (future messaging) ✓ Identify negative comments/concerns

Listening Tour Benefits

✓ Refine your proposal ✓ Improve your messaging ✓ Build trust ✓ Enhance community ownership ✓ Develop super-advocates ✓ Test strengths and weaknesses of proposal

Letter to Registered Voters + Smaller Attachment Letter to Key Influencers + Larger Attachment

Q&A Newsletter

✓ Open Houses ✓ Tours ✓ Video Tours ✓ Webinars ✓ Telephone Town Hall ✓ Coffees

SOCIAL MEDIA ON MULTIPLE PLATFORMS

Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Other

Proposal Specific & General Brand Building

• Mail Survey
• Phone Poll

(or Hybrid Poll) Needs Assessment

Community Outreach

Opinion Research

Four-Phase Taxpayer-Focused Approach

Mail Survey

✓ Half info/half questions ✓ Highest readership ✓ General undertone of electorate ✓ Often 8-15% too friendly ✓ May be your only option

And finally, a scientific phone poll (if enough likely voters)

✓ Random stratified sample ✓ Likely voters only ✓ Perfect replacement ✓ Min. 300 completed surveys (+/- 5.66%)

Why poll?

Still the best tool to determine:

✓ Level of support for funding proposal ✓ Support for each element of proposal ✓ Trust of institution ✓ Tax sensitivity ✓ Arguments that resonate for and against the measure

The future of polling?

• Hybrid polls (phone+email)
• Text message polls

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Needs Assessment

Community Outreach

Opinion Research

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Needs Assessment

Community Outreach

Campaign

Opinion Research

Don’t skip this.

The Campaign

(an essential last step)

Start With: Plan, Timeline & Budget

Often $2 - $4 Per Likely Voter

Common First-Tier Strategies/Tools

✓ Lit Drops (Door Hangers) ✓ Facebook Advertising/Boosts ✓ Digital Media ✓ Fundraising Letters ✓ Signature Cards/Envelopes ✓ Direct Mailers ✓ Q&A Handouts/Palm Cards ✓ Website & Facebook Page ✓ Yard Signs/Banners ✓ Signage for Retail ✓ Print Ads ✓ Community Events ✓ Presentations

No Need to Guess on “Messaging”

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Digital Media: A Campaign Essential

✓ Instagram vs. Facebook ✓ “Organic” Social media vs. Facebook ads ✓ YouTube videos:

• Share on Facebook
• Advertise/Boost on Facebook and YouTube

✓ Role of the website

Social Media Action Steps

✓ Identify “Social Media Basecamp” ✓ Appoint Ambassadors with large following on Facebook/Instagram ✓ Register domain names (.com, .org, etc.) ✓ Make weekly assignments from Basecamp ✓ Helpers/speakers submit info to Basecamp: Photos, stories, positive information (and concerns)

Planning Your Media Posts

✓ Posts are pre-planned (part of calendar) ✓ Each time Basecamp posts, ambassadors should share ✓ Spontaneous content sent back to Basecamp ✓ Allocation funds to “boost”

Planning Your Media Posts (cont.)

✓ Monitor negative posts and questions

✓ Create video content (somewhat polished)

Image Ad 2 9/21/18 Reach 12,188 Frequency 2.8 Impressions 34,089 Clicks to website 396 Post shares 20 Post reactions 107 Post engagement 231

56% Support (2014 Bond Measure)

66% Support (2018 Mill Levy)

✓ Commit to listening. Truly listening. ✓ Make it the community’s plan. Not staff’s plan. Not the board’s plan. ✓ Focus on building long-term trust. It’s not about a one-off victory.

It’s about respecting your local taxpayers…

Q&A

• Dr. Tom Quinn

Paul Hanley