Local Government Election Campaigns – A How To Guide for Candidates by Leigh Arnold Communications

LOCAL GOVERNMENT E L E C T I O N C A M PA I G N S

A how to guide for candidates

LEIGH ARNOLD C O M M M U N I C AT I O N S

Local Government election campaigns – A how to guide for candidates Below is a list of suggested actions to improve your chances of getting elected to a local government position. This advice is useful whether you’re hoping to become a Councillor, a Deputy Mayor or a Mayor. Generally, the more senior the role, the more campaign work you’ll have to do to win.

Work your way through each issue to get yourself prepared.

If you would like help with your campaign, contact me via the contact details at the bottom of this factsheet.

Good luck! —Leigh

Who you are 1. Your Values: What are your Values? a. Find a values list online or use this list from Brene Brown. b. Select all the values that resonate with you (or choose others if you prefer). c. Narrow your list down to 16, then 8, then 4.

2. Your Why: What are your goals from this campaign? Why are you doing this?

Campaign fundamentals 1. Your How: What is your tone? What behaviour will you exhibit? (For example, do you want to be seen as energetic, serious, pleasant, ambitious or enthusiastic?)

2. Your What a. Why have residents voted for other candidates in the area in the past? b. Has the Council done a strategic plan recently involving community consultation where locals had their say about what they wanted? If so, can you get hold of that material? This may help you understand what local people want from their Councillors. And you can build a campaign around that. c. Similarly, what issues are dominating the local media? Housing? Health? Transport?

Education? Safety? The environment? Which of these issues also resonates with you? Can you make those issues a major part of your campaign? d. What are the top 3 issues you will campaign on? (You’ll need to talk about these issues a lot during your campaign.) e. What is your top 1 campaign issue? (This is the one you should talk about most often.)

3. What does success look like for you in your campaign? a. Imagine a scenario in the future (after the election) where you have achieved everything you wanted to achieve. Can you describe that?

This is what you are working towards!

The finances 1. Are you clear on how much you are allowed to spend on your campaign? a. What are the Council/ State/ National regulations on that?

2. What is included in expenses and what is excluded?

3. Are you allowed to have volunteers provide campaign services to you for free?

4. How much do you have in your budget to contract professional help?

Understanding the context 1. Election details a. When will the election be officially called? b. When will it be held? c. Is it postal or in-person voting?

2. What is the size of the Council constituency? a. How many households? b. How many voters?

3. Can you get hold of previous Council election results (e.g. the past ten years)? a. Who votes in the elections? b. Where do they live? c. Gender? Age? Etc. 4. How many votes do you need to win? a. What is your target number of votes?

Your capabilities/ availability 1. How much time do you have for your campaign? Be honest about that. a. Do you need to take time off work for this?

2. What are your energy levels like? Be honest about that. a. How will you look after your health and wellbeing during the campaign?

Your team 1. Can you create a list of all the people who might help you in some way?

2. Can you say exactly what each person might be willing to do to help you? a. What role/s they can play? b. How much time might they give you?

3. What professional providers do you need for the campaign? a. A campaign manager? b. A communications/ media adviser? c. A designer for your campaign products? d. A photographer? (For headshots and/or campaign shots.) e. A marketing person? f. A website designer and hoster? g. Anyone else?

4. What role are family members willing to play in your campaign?

Your endorsers 1. Is anyone who is already on the Council, willing to endorse you? Ideally someone with shared values who is also a popular figure with the people likely to vote for you! a. What are those endorsers prepared to do – practically – to endorse you?

2. Who else in the local community (and beyond) will endorse or speak for you? a. Can you create a list? b. What will you ask them to do for you? c. Who will contact them to ask for their help? d. How and when will they be contacted?

Your mayoral advisers 1. Can you create a list of existing local government politicians from other Councils who might give you some advice about your campaign? a. This should be current councillors/ Deputy Mayors/ Mayors. b. Choose people at least at the same level of seniority as the role you’re going for, e.g. if you’re trying to become Mayor, speak to other Mayors. c. If you’re a woman, think about getting advice from other women councillors.

2. How will you speak to them? a. Do you have their contact details? b. Will you talk in person, online or by phone? c. What questions will you ask them? What do you want to know from them?

3. After you have met them, what did you learn? a. Do you need to change your campaign in any way? b. How will you keep a log of what they told you?

And what you learned from them?

Your opponents 1. What’s unique about you compared with your competition?

2. What strengths does each candidate have (including you)?

3. What weaknesses does each candidate have (including you)?

4. How are you going to position yourself as different to (and better than) the opposition? a. Remember: Never talk down other candidates during the campaign. This is about knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are – relative to the opposition – so that you know how best to talk yourself up.

Your campaign products (and branding) 1. Branding a. Should you hire a designer/ branding expert to decide a campaign look and feel? b. Would you like to adopt a main campaign colour? One that is not used by a major political party or by other candidates.

2. Election signs a. What do you want on them? Images and text?

Do you need a photographer? And a designer? b. What size? c. Who will print them? d. How will you distribute them/ get them installed in the Council area? e. What are the rules around installing them?

(When can they go in? How many? Where?)

3. Posters a. What do you want on them? Images and text?

Do you need a photographer? And a designer? b. What size? c. Who will print them? d. How will you distribute them/ get them installed in the Council area?

4. Letters to local voters a. Do you want to send one? b. What do want to say? c. Who will produce it? (Text and printing.) d. Who would you send them to? e. How would you send them? (Getting names and addresses.)

5. Flyers a. What do you want on them? Images and text?

Do you need a photographer? And a designer? b. Who will produce it? (Text and printing.) c. Who would you send them to? And how? Mail?

In person? d. For mail, how would you send them? (Getting names and addresses.)

6. How to vote cards a. Do you want to create one? b. What do want to say? c. Who will produce it? (Text and printing.) d. Who would you send them to? e. How would you send them? (Getting names and addresses.)

7. T-shirts/ caps etc a. Do you want to create these? b. How many? c. What sizes? d. What design? (A question for a designer.) e. Who will produce it? (Text and printing.)

8. Campaign website a. Should you create one? b. Who will produce the content? (Text and images.) c. Who will design it? d. Who will host it?

Your media

Operational matters

1. News articles a. Can you create a list of potential print news stories across the campaign? b. What media outlets will you target? Local ones especially.

2. Press advertisements a. Is this something you want to do? b. Who will produce the content? (Text and images.) c. Who will design it? d. Where, when and how will you place them?

3. Radio a. Can you create a list of potential radio news stories across the campaign? b. What media outlets will you target? Local ones especially.

1. Do you have a campaign email address that you will use for all campaign work? a. One that is separate from any work emails.

2. Have you got your IT sorted? For online meetings etc.

3. Who is managing your budget?

Your activities 1. Schedule of activities a. Can you create one for the duration of your campaign? i. Before the election is formally announced. ii. During the campaign. iii. Directly before election day (checking the regulations on whether you are allowed to do media at that stage). iv. Immediately post-election day.

2. Can you create a schedule of social media content? a. Who will set up your social media accounts? b. Who will produce the content across the campaign? (Text and images.) c. Who will respond to comments on the social media accounts?

3. Doorknocking a. Can you create a list of where to go? b. How many homes will you cover? c. Who will do this? d. When will it be done? e. What will you say? What are your main messages?

4. Meeting voters in shopping centres and other community locations a. Where would you go? b. How long would you go for? c. How often would you do this? d. Who will do this? Just you? Or with others? e. When will it be done? f. What will you say? What are your main messages? g. What will you need to take with you?

(Campaign materials/ table and chairs etc.) h. How will you get permission? (For example, from the venue management.)

Afterwards 1. How will you thank people who helped you?

2. When will you start planning what you want to do in your first 100 days, six months and year as an elected Councillor/ Deputy Mayor/ Mayor?

3. How will you recover from the campaign work before starting in your new role?

Contact me If you need help with your campaign, just get in touch: Leigh Leigh Arnold Communications Email: leigh@leigharnold.com.au Mobile: 0409 019 939 Web: www.leigharnold.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/ LeighArnoldCommunications LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigharnold-53803715/