Election Campaign

Purpose

This section should be static. Any changes should be brought to the attention of the Campaign Team. (Small/Mclarty/Fabrizio)

Primary Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide a framework for execution during the election as well as provide staging for the next election campaign. If used properly, this living document will drive organizational efficiency and collaboration, while minimizing risk and rework. It was prepared with the intention to serve the party’s short-term and long-term goals.

Secondary Purposes

The secondary purpose of this document is to act as the official election Campaign Hub, for work in progress. Many ideas to be executed during the next campaign haven’t yet been identified. Those decisions will be made in real-time. The proposed hub for those ideas is also, this private wiki, however the election campaign for 2013/2014 should be kept segregrated. Ideas executed in tandem, and not connected to this hub, should be treated as secondary priorities.

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this document is the Executive Committee and all candidates. The contents are confidential.

Objectives

This section should be static. Any changes should be brought to the attention of the Campaign Team. (Small/Mclarty/Fabrizio)

The primary objectives are the focus for this document and the party. The secondary objectives are simply to confirm that the Executive Committee is properly aligned.

Primary Objectives

1. Run a full slate.
2. Identify, build and test technologies for future elections.

Secondary Objectives

• Increase Membership
• Increase Donations
• Teach the public lessons in economics & liberty
• Increased intelligent media coverage
• Focus on 5 Staples:
  • HEALTH
  • EDUCATION
  • TAXES
  • JOBS
  • ENERGY

Assumptions

This section should be static. Any changes should be brought to the attention of the Campaign Team. (Small/Mclarty/Fabrizio)

The following assumptions have been made in order to facilitate the development of this election campaign. If any of the primary assumptions are violated, this document needs to be revised. The candidate quality assumptions are mainly for budgetary, scheduling, and resourcing purposes. Their validation is goal like in nature.

Primary Assumptions

1. The election will be later than March 1st, 2013.
2. The election will be earlier than June 1st, 2014.

Assumed Checkpoints

Assumed checkpoints are operational targets which will be achieved. If for any reason the assumed checkpoints are jeopardized, the executive should consider a revision to this document.

1. The LP will have 45 committed candidates by end of Q4 2012.
2. The LP will have 60 committed candidates by middle of Q2 2013.
3. The LP will have 85 committed candidates by end of Q3 2013.
4. The LP will have a full slate of committed candidates early 2014.
5. The LP will have 6 dedicated regional managers by end of Q4 2012.
6. The LP will have 8 dedicated regional managers early 2013.

Candidate Quality Assumptions

Our candidates will include Alpha, Beta, and Paper Candidates. A Candidate Succession Policy is planned for implementation during the election.

All candidates require training. 10 candidates will:

• Have 3+ volunteers
• Distribute 3,000 custom pamphlets
• Need 20 lawn signs
• Attend All Candidate meetings

The remaining candidates will:

• Have between 0 and 2 volunteers
• Will distribute between 10 and 1,000 pamphlets
• Need 5-6 signs
• Attend some Candidate meetings.

Strategy

This section should be static. Any changes should be brought to the attention of the Campaign Team. (Small/Mclarty/Fabrizio)

Objective #1 – Run full slate

1. To run a full slate of candidates the LP will need to increase motivation for active solicitation
2. To run a full slate of candidates the LP will need to consistently follow-up on inquiries
3. To run a full slate of candidates the LP will need to develop a centralized candidate database, a system for managing candidates

Objective #2 – Stage the Party as viable

1. To stage the party, the LP will strive to obtain properties of comparible caliber to the other major parties. (Eg. No more 8-bit clip-art.)
2. To stage the party, the LP will make our communications succinct and coherent (No more rhetorical questions in print.)
3. To stage the party, the LP will need to train candidates vigorously (Eg. No more debates for the sake of debates.)

Objective #3 – Test and Build Technology

1. To test and build technology the LP will need to make development a priority
2. To test and build technology the LP will need to embrace innovation, and accept the risk of failure as a cost of progress.

Tactics

Organization Chart

1. Recruit and train Regional Coordinators and assign them the responsibility to find candidates for each of their ridings.
2. The Regional Coordinator Integration Manager will follow up with each Regional Coordinator on an as needed basis.

Public Relations

1. Respond to all media inquiries usinga volunteer monitored e-mail inbox.
2. Build redundancy into every public relation and critical path action required for the election using two person teams, even when only 1 person is required.

Platform

1. Focus on issues identified in objectives.
2. Use a high level, 5-12 page summary of the platform using info graphics.
3. Use a detailed level, 10-20 page documents, covering a wide variety of issues. Include tear-out membership/donor form.
4. Create a specific web-site, just to focus on our platform.

Branding

1. Party website and print material, used during the campaign should all match.
2. Save unbranded material currently in inventory, for use in the “off-season”
3. Create a media center on our web-page.
4. Create/Select a word-press template for the use by candidates.
5. Candidates get their own e-mail address. They must use it, for all campaign related functions.

Social Media

social media campaign

1. Continue to use the facebook forum as is.
2. Our twitter account should be a static, single tweet that points to our web-page, unless 2 Alpha volunteers can manage it, properly.
3. Youtube postings should be in a single feed, with comments disabled.

Candidate Quality

1. We believe that any member can be a suitable candidate for the party. The policy for approving candidates, in the absence of a constituency association, will be as follows:
   1. The LP will automatically endorse any candidate who volunteers unless any member of the executive creates a thread in the Yahoo Forums, with the following information about why the LP shouldn’t endorse the candidate:
      1. The name of the candidate
      2. The reason why, with time and date associated with fact based evidence.
      3. Details about how failed coaching methods used prior to the yahoo groups post.
      4. Your name and a second member of the executive who endorses the decision.
   2. The Leader or the Deputy leader of the party will approve or disapprove the request.
   3. The candidate or the member of the executive can appeal the leader’s decision to the executive through representation at any executive meeting where the executive will decide.
2. Candidates get their own e-mail address. They must use it, for all campaign related functions.
3. Only approved candidate’s personal web-sites will be linked from the main web-site.
4. Professional headshots get taken.
5. Exec to review and polish biographies posted online.

Marketing

1. Use local newspaper ads in GTA where we have several candidates.
2. Brute force by any means necessary, in alignment with the schedule.

Training & Recruiting

1. Tooling will run as per scheduled.
2. Tooling will be in alignment with the decisions made during “Tooling Set-up”, and with the training topics listed in the Candidate Tooling hub.
3. Encourage Candidates to attend all-candidates meetings
4. Party to provide several sample speeches.
5. Get interested attendees to fill in Info Request form.
6. Get help (nearby Libertarian) for every potential candidate; no one should work alone.
7. All candidates should get an electronic packet of instructions.

Centralized Candidate Database

1. The executive will create an online hub for contacts and decisions regarding constituencies, and regional managers. Its scope and design will be defined on it's page.

Organizational Meetings

1. Campaign meetings will be scheduled as necessary, the first will occur 1 week after the approval of this document.

Road Trips

1. 3 Road trips will be planned, to cover three areas of Ontario. The purpose is to attempt to make isolated candidates feel included.

Activities

Layered Approach

This section should be static. Any changes should be brought to the attention of the Campaign Team. (Small/Mclarty/Fabrizio)

The election Campaign Schedule has been broken down into five layers:

1. Early Preparation – Starts July 2012 – Mid-November 2012
2. Flexible Preparation – Starts Mid-August 2012, extends right up to the election
3. Campaign Staging – Starts 120 days prior to vote, 60 days long.
4. Campaign Execution – Starts 60 days prior to vote, 60 days long.
5. Follow-Up – Starts when vote is over, until 2 months after.
6. Candidate Tooling – Starts July 2012, ends at the vote.

Schedule

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The schedule below is preliminary, and will be updated as necessary. Always check the file log. 2013-14 Campaign Schedule

Activity Checklist

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The following checklist is the start of a list, that will eventually become very detailed, "flight plan, launch, like". 2013-14 Activity List

Candidate Data

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Until the Central Candidate Database is live, please use the 2013-14 Data Hub for tracking candidates/constituencies

Budget Tracking

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The budget has not yet been approved. When it is, check back here for tracking purposes.

Integrated Campaign Project Pages

The following pages are created to be the main hubs for the mini projects referenced in this campaign plan.

1. Communications - anything to do with platform, marketing, branding, theme, SWAG, sites.
2. Central Candidate Database - Online database system being planned.
3. Centralized E-mail & Volunteer Management - E-mail aliases for everybody, and a centralized e-mail response team.
4. Candidate Tooling - Training and tracking for operations that need to happen on a "per candidate basis".
5. Road-Trip - The tour being planned for near election day.

Glossary

Absentee Candidate - Name only. Other volunteers needs to do 100% of the signatures and paperwork.

Paper Candidate - Name + Can get signatures/co-operate to complete paperwork.

Active Candidate - Name + Can get signatures/co-operate to complete paperwork + Participate at all candidate meetings

Alpha – When used to describe a candidate, is one who completely embodies the libertarian view point, have excellent communication skills; go above and beyond getting signatures and paperwork, and a biography which make the party proud. When used to describe a volunteer, is simply one who when they accept a task, complete it, on time, and properly.

Beta – When used to describe a candidate, is one who embodies the libertarian view point, however they complete the bare minimum required to run, or their biography is weak. These candidates would ideally be replaced by better candidates, if one such candidate was identified. When used to describe a volunteer, it is anyone will always complete a given task, it just may not be properly done, or on time.

Charlie – Any volunteer who can only do specific things – but they do it well.

Delta – Any volunteer who may or may not deliver desirable results.

Elected-Volunteer – Members of the Executive, Ethics Committee, or volunteers who once held elected positions.

Election – the first election held provincially, after the one held October 2011.

Next election – the second election held provincially, after the one held October 2011.

Paper Candidate – a candidate who does not plan to be active (attend All Candidate meetings, distribute pamphlets, etc.) during the campaign. The individual may or may not be prepared to collect signatures.

Full Time Equivalent – 40 hours per week of effective utility.

SPOC - Single Point of Contact

PPOC – Primary Point of Contact

BPOC – Backup Point of Contact

OPOC – Other Points of Contact