Poll Coordination Program

This will be one of the most important things your riding association does before the next election

Poll Coordination Program

Poll Coordination Program Overview

A Poll Captain and Assistant for Every Poll Thats 90 130 New Volunteers
To understand this program you first need to understand the reasoning behind it. Our research and the experience gained in previous elections have taught us that campaigns are fought and won differently than they were in the recent past. It is becoming increasingly difficult to reach our supporters over the phone, technologies call display, cell phones, people not having land lines, the inundation we experience from telemarketers are all reasons we need to make the personal contact with the voters other ways as well. The Socreds only campaigned this way before the advent of Phone Canvassing. The NDP is using some of the tactics outlined below and they do it well through the Union Halls, look at the last election it was a clear example of how well they were able to get their people out. They are a step ahead of us as they have organized unions with lists and lists of people and their contact info. And in most cases they had a work force of volunteers who werent necessarily volunteering. We need people on the ground that can walk up to a house come election time and recognize the residence as a supportive one and then get them out to vote, and we need to start now on building our lists and lists of people with contact info. The next Election will be here before we know it! We must be ready and that means we have to prepare now. Imagine a riding election where you have canvassed (door knocked) every house in the riding before the election starts (i.e. Pre-Writ)! Then you do it again during the election. This is very real and must be our goal. Phoning is still our best way to ID our vote, but we can no longer rely solely on phoning. We must do both. As well, we must have poll captains in every poll during advanced polls and on Election Day, to ask our IDd supporters to get out and vote: GOTV. What will it take to fully execute this plan? The answer is volunteers. Below, you will read a detailed plan on how to make this scenario a reality. Your constituency association is on its way to electoral success!

5 Steps to Success!
1. Find a Champion 2. Build a Team 3. Phone Location 4. Configure your Data 5. Start Calling

Poll Coordination Program

Five Steps to Find Poll Captains

Step 1 of 5
Find a champion to Chair the Poll Coordination Program in your riding.
This person is a self-starter, is a selfmotivator and entrepreneurial. They need to be a team leader, to be able to encourage and motivate. You would consider this person to run your next election campaign. (Start training them now!) Try to get them to do this on a volunteer basis, or, you may consider an honorarium. They must have the time and be able to commit to executing and completing the program as outlined below. Ask someone who has recently retired!! They will be expected to report to board meetings, meet with the MLA and come to party functions and training. They will work closely with the BC Liberal organizer. They will be responsible to continue to coordinate calling nights to ensure you talk to everyone on the 2009 IDd voters list, to ensure your riding has a poll captain and if possible an assistant for each poll in your riding. They will have to conduct some one-on-one meetings, group meetings and some over the phone meetings to complete your goal of finding poll captains for each poll. Your Chair may also agree to coordinate the distribution of flyers or surveys, by way of your poll captains, to every home in the riding (Minimum your best polls). They will have to develop a small committee to work with them.

The Goal of the Poll Coordinator Chair is to recruit a Poll Captain for each election poll

Step 2 of 5
Build a Volunteer Phone Team
Provide your Chairperson with lists of the volunteers from the last election, members list and your Executive list, committee lists, and current know supporters. If need be they will have to call some of the IDd supporters that took a sign and / or donated during the campaign. You will need enough people to fill a volunteer phone bank for up to two weeks, 4 - 5 days a week.

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Step 3 of 5
Find a Location
The Chair will need to find a location to do the phoning from. This could be a realestate office or a local business. They should have a minimum of 5 phones and 5 phone lines (Can they take 5 incoming calls before you get a busy signal or voice mail?) Ask to use the premises after hours starting at around 5:00 / 5:30 until 8:00 PM, Monday through Thursday and one shift on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Take what ever you can get! Make arrangements for access and if someone from the business needs to be in attendance (Key, alarm code, dos and donts) You could also use cell phones at someones home.

Step 4 of 5
Confirm your data, learn how to access it and print lists
During the last election, every constituency IDd their BC Liberal and Leaning voters by way of a phone canvass. These were the people who, when we called, were bold enough and had the conviction to say they would vote for us. Now, we need to find the smaller group, within this segment of voters, which would most likely consider being a volunteer. To do this, you will organize a phoning program of volunteers to re - ID our BC Liberal (not leaning) data and ask if they would consider volunteering to drop of flyers door to door in the lead up and during the 2009 Election. Your election 2009 data is in the ridings WIN election software. You need to get this onto a computer (without Maximizer) with Internet access. Talk to your regional Organizer on how to sync with head office to get all the current updates. Get familiar with the new contact management side, as this will help you track your volunteers. Learn how to print phone canvass lists, by poll, of your BC Liberal (not leaning) IDd supporters, and, your membership list, for your volunteer phone bank to call.

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Step 5 of 5
Call your 2009 IDs supporters list, re-ID, ask them to help, get e-mail to invite to social, check address.

The Goal of the Step 5 is to Have your volunteer phoners arrive at your recruit NEW Poll phoning location. Book one more than you Captain for each need as you can be sure there will be one election poll that cant make it at the last minute for some reason. BE READY. Have the lists printed, by a phone and know how to use the phone! Have rulers, highlighters, pens and spare sheets of paper for them to write notes on. Have coffee, water and ask a different one each night to bring some goodies or buy some cookies. Have them start at the beginning of their list and record notes. (They could use the calling code sheet attached.)

Dont forget to call your membership list and ask them as well! The membership list might be a good place to start.

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Sample Phone Script

Hi, my name is first & last and I am calling on behalf of Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberals in X riding and was wondering if you had a quick second to answer one question for me? Great! Thank you, this will be quick. 1. Would you say that generally, maybe not on all issues, but generally, you support Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal Government? Conversation may ensue go with the flow!! If they are supportive you can remind them we only won Government in the last election by less than 5000 votes (in less than 10 ridings)

IF YES: Mark sheet and ask #2 IF NO: Thank you for taking the time to answer, have a good night. (Record not supporter) 2. The reason why we were calling is we were wondering if you would consider helping out at election time to drop flyers door to door in YOUR neighbourhood? This will help make sure we reelect Premier Christy Clark and a BC Liberal Government. It would only take a couple of hours walk. Maybe a couple of times during the election period. GREAT! Thank you. I will just record that you are interested in helping (will think about it) and when we get closer to needing some flyers dropped off in your neighbourhood, someone will call you. Can I just confirm your address, do you still live at (call and record changes) Could I get your E-mail address so that we can send you an invitation to a social to meet with our MLA / minister? (Record e-mail address and call it back slowly) Get any other phone numbers (cell work) Thank them again and wish them a good night.

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Additional Thoughts on Phoning
Have the callers work until 8:30 maximum. Stop them from time to time to discuss how its going and make suggestions. Listen to how they are doing (make sure they dont just read the script, be friendly sounding, and inviting, up beat!)

Make sure they are having fun.

And, make sure they know you appreciate their help. Have the MLA or riding President come at the beginning of the first day to say thanks and drop in once in a while to see how its going. Have someone enter all the new data into your WIN 2009 program and database. Put a pin in a riding poll map where your volunteer resides. Dont worry about any duplication as you can get two volunteers to work together and / or have stronger convicted volunteers to help in other areas

Volunteer Management
How to find a volunteer
Invite, Invite, Invite. Call them; send them invitations by e-mail, facebook, twitter, in the mail. Ask them to attend meetings, a round table with the MLA, to an announcement, to meet the Premier or another Cabinet Minister whatever it is keep inviting them. Send the odd e-mail of breaking news or an update of what the Government is doing. Be sure to call them from time to time. Building a relationship will take the personal touch Have your MLA call them all and leave a message about X

Ask them to help (Volunteer)

As soon as the opportunity arises you need to ask the supporter you have built a bit of a relationship with, for their help. Keep the task definable, short and manageable. For some you may see they would like to jump right in with both feet, ask these to sign up and join a committee of the executive. For the othersthat need to feel comfortable first, need to ease in, we will ask them to do the first job to becoming a Poll Captain (without saying that!!) JUST ASK THEM TO HELP WITH A SPECIFIC TASK (do not use the word volunteer)

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Things We Need to do Before the Next Election

Deliver a flyer to each house in their neighbourhood (poll), twice a

year. It takes an average of 2 hours to deliver a brochure to each home in a poll. Then once in Pre Writ period and twice during the election. Thats only 14 hours total !!

Start them slow and then on the next flyer drop ask them to knock on the door, say Hi and give them the flyer so that they know a Volunteer
dropped it off. (Not Canada post) Then, on the next, ask them to ask one question. Finally, on the pre writ drop, ask them to ask a few questions, and, on the writ drop as well. Send an assistant with them so they are more comfortable (have them buddy up and do two polls each) This is only a few hours of time we need from approximately 120 people, one per poll, (or just your 50 best polls) between now and the next election. This will go a long way to helping secure a win in our riding in the next Provincial Election.

Some ideas and thoughts

1. Sometimes the shy ones that rise to the top! If you ask for help in a meeting make sure to have two people in the crowd offer to help to get the ball rolling 2. Maybe use a well know endorser to encourage people to sign up 3. Ask everyone to fill in the questionnaire below **. (Provide pens and clipboards) 4. At future meetings, ask each person to find you one more person in polls where we still need help. Have a poll map on the wall (mount on cork board) showing streets and schools and put a pin with the coordinators name in each poll that gets taken. This would be primarily for discussion and reference purposes. This may create some excitement and conversation at the meeting. 5. Have the MLA thank everyone and give a short speech about how important this is to the future of BC

Poll Coordination Program

Set Up a Volunteer Social
Work with your field Organizer to obtain a date for a Minister to attend a social function in your riding. Set a location for between 50 and 80 people max. Make sure you have good parking, easy access and it is easily recognizable (a local hotel or community centre, maybe even a supporters home if its larger) Make sure you have some coffee and refreshments available. 1. Call and invite your new volunteer supporters, membership, Executive, known supporters, Family, friends and associates. Ask them all to bring a friend!! 2. Send E-mail invitations, Facebook events, and ask for RSVP Have a volunteer with a good knowledge of mass e-mail sending, set up and send a professional invite from the riding inviting the supporter to the social with the MLA / Minister. Make sure it has all the information they need and ask for a RSVP. Make it urgent. Ask them to hit reply now so you know how big of a room to get and to order enough coffee and food. Be sure the reply goes to a mainstream e-mail account and not a hotmail one. 3. Call to remind them of the social Re-activate a few of your volunteer callers to call 3 4 days before and remind the attendees of the social. Leave a voice mail message. The reminder calls could be something you could do by voice broadcasting. 4. The Social Event Have each person sign in (get name, e-mail and phone), and put on a nametag. You could have a short questionnaire available for them to fill out and leave behind. The room works best in an open area type setting with groups of chairs / coffee tables around the outside. About half way through, once everyone has had a good opportunity to mingle, announce that the MLA / Minister has a few words to say and introduce the MLA / Minister. Explain that he would like to say a few words and then answer any questions you may have. MLA / Ministers talk: The MLA / Minister gives a short talk about the BIG PICTURE in BC. Talk about all the successes of the BC Liberal Government, all that we have achieved. Try to remind them what it was like after two NDP terms and what has changed since. Talk about some of the major achievements of our Government and what life is like under the BC Liberals. Remind them that we could easily go back. Let them know that we only won, Province wide, by some 5000 votes or so. And, that we need to win the next election to keep things moving forward. A good way to do this is to discuss the conversation / dialogue on Health, talk about the cost to Government and how it will one day consume the whole budgetand that after consulting with BC, we will need to get re-elected to implement any

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changes. Its a difficult thing in politics, but, you have to get re-elected to keep implementing your plans. Tell them about the lack of volunteers we are experiencing these days and what we need to do before the next election. Encourage a discussion about the problems of a campaign and the risks of loosing the election, returning to the NDP. And how this means we have to win this riding. Sample Questionnaire to Fill Out at the Social 1. Name___________________________________Phone___________ _________Cell________________ E-mail______________________ 2. Would you attend future meetings (round tables) with X MLA to provide feedback on the Governments performance? 3. Would you like to attend Dinners with other Ministers or the Premier? 4. Can we sign you up as a BC Liberal member? Its only $10 for 4 years. You will be entitled to vote at candidate selection meetings, get more notices of whats happening and be invited to more functions with your MLA and ministers of the Government. To help ensure we win the next election: 5. Can we mark you down to take a lawn sign for the next election? ...We will call first. Signs help show community support. 6. Would you like to get involved a little more to help with your MLAs re-election? OR to elect a BC Liberal member for your riding in the next election? a. On the Campaign? b. On the riding Executive? c. Call me to discuss. 7. Would you like to come to your MLAs next fundraising Dinner? 8. Would you donate to your MLAs re-election campaign? OR your riding next election? a. Call me b. CLUB 300 $25.00 + per month. Includes free membership auto renewed and a complementary special social evening the Premier attends also. c. $75 $100 $150 $250 $500 $1000? d. Other $________________

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Final Thoughts
What else will your volunteers do:
Below is a list of possible spin off results this program will help to generate. Youll notice they cover most of the major functions of your riding association, Volunteer Base, Membership, Fundraising, Networking, and Campaign Readiness. The Poll co-ordination program will not only help bring you into the new era of how to win a campaign but it will also help to expand your volunteer base; thus, grow your membership list, Improve your financial positions, Build your networks, ready yourselves for a smooth transition to Campaign Mode. 1. Become A Poll Captain or a Captains Assistant in their neighbourhood. 2. Take out a BC Liberal Membership 3. Commit to taking a lawn sign for the next election 4. Donate to the constituency association 5. Become a CLUB 300 contributing member 6. Become a campaign volunteer 7. Join the constituency association executive 8. Attend events, fundraisers and rallys 9. Join a committee 10. Become an Ethnic outreach chair 11. Become an endorser

Summary
Do not get side tracked. Keep focused on your GOAL.
Recruit 50 100 Volunteers to drop brochures in their neighbourhoods (your BEST polls) 3 5 times before the election. Then, slowly, ask them to door knock and eventually canvass their (or another) neighbourhood poll. We will turn most of them into Poll Captains Have them door knock our supporters on Election Day to remind them to vote (We only won the last election by 5000 votes BC wide!)

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Poll Coordination Program

NOTES:
Remember, with riding redistribution some ridings will have to readjust to the new boundaries and introduce poll coordinators to the new riding executive. We will soon be able to supply some examples of what Poll Coordinators could hand out (a combination of flyer and survey) each year. Remember, your keen volunteers may also offer to help do a membership drive, knocking on the doors of previously IDd supporters. Be sure to ask everyone you know, everyone your executive knows and everyone your committee knows to be a Poll Captain or Neighbourhood Captain Implement an ask a friend policy. Get each volunteer to recruit one friend. Have a bring a friend night / socialSpread the word, ask, ask, and ask!!! Home coffee partys with MLA or candidate, invite neighbours and bring a friend It wont take long, and you will have a Volunteer for every poll.

This will be one of the most important things your riding association does before the next election

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