GOPAC: The Basics of "Get Out The Vote"

The Basics of Get Out The Vote: The Questions You Need to Ask And Answer
http://www.gopac.com/index.html

1. TARGETS: Who are your targets to win? What voter groups do you need? Where do they live? What coalitions do you need to win?

2. GOP VOTES: What is the base Republican vote in your district? What percentage of the total vote is the GOP vote? Where is the largest concentration of GOP voters?

3. GOP TURNOUT: How will you “hit” the GOP voters – mail? Phones? TV/Radio ads? Door to Door? E-Mail? Combined State & County Party Efforts? What message are you using to turnout the GOP voter?

4. OTHER CAMPAIGNS: What other campaigns will be turning out GOP voters? What about the State Party, County Party, and other races – up or down the ballot from yours?

5. POSTCARDS: Do you have a neighbor-to-neighbor postcard program in place? What other personal turnout programs do you plan to use – email trees, precinct captains, personal phone calls, and employer-employee programs? Are these in place to push the GOP vote?

6. VOTER BLITZ: Do you plan to conduct a “voter blitz” in key precincts to canvas before Election Day? Have you identified and targeted the top GOP precincts and households within those precincts?

7. ABSENTEE BALLOT PROGRAM: What will you do to capture the absentee vote? What are the absentee voter regulations? How can absentee votes be challenged? Do you have a “chase program” in place to make sure that likely Republicans who asked for an absentee ballot got it, filled it out, and sent it back?

8. BALLOT INTEGRITY & POLL WATCHING: Do you have a program to ensure the integrity of your polling places? Who are the key lawyers in charge? Do you have a system to check the publication of polling places, watch for voter fraud on Election Day, and implement a recount? Do you have a poll watcher/poll runner program in place? What are the requirements to be a poll watcher? Can you check off names? Can you use cell phones inside the polling place?

9. ELECTION DAY ACTIVITIES: What is your Election Day plan? Where will you “put” the candidate? Is there a transport program to shuttle shut-ins to and from the polls? Do you have a system to call in vote totals so you can track returns as they are reported?