Being on lockdown doesn't have to mean diminished campaign activities. There are a lot of effective and authentic ways to connect with voters. Take advantage of what’s positive about campaigning in the 2020 elections during our COVID-19 existence.
The most obvious bonus that candidates have been granted is more time to reach voters. In Maryland, there is now an extra 34 days between when the primary election should have been on April 28th and the new election date on June 2nd.
It's exciting that all candidates now have more time to:
Refine Messages
A few months ago, a candidate may not have had dedicated time to reflect, reconsider, and reconstruct his or her messages or stump speech. Has your current message been connecting with your voters the way you need it to? [Take a look at a few candidate story examples.] In addition to your stump speech, it’s a good time to dig deeper and develop each of your platform messages. For instance, why are unemployment rates, social justice, global warming, childcare, healthcare, ageism, human trafficking important to you? Why should voters care about these issues?
Connect with Voters
The bulk of voters are abiding by the #stayathome order. Candidates literally have a captive audience. Most voters are available, focused, and ready to be informed. Use the extra 34 days to engage new groups and individuals and positively influence them. With door-to-door canvasing taken off the table, other authentic means can be just as effective to get eye-to-eye with voters. Candidates might: Schedule daily face-to-face online meetings using Google Hangouts, Go-To-Meetings, or Zoom; Record and post daily short cell-phone messages; Schedule weekly Virtual Town Hall Meetings on Facebook Live or YouTube Live; Send bi-weekly mailers; Aim to be a guest on a podcast every day or host a political or community-based podcast; Make live phone calls, etc. These are only a few ways to communicate and stay connected with your voters. Candidates are only limited by their imaginations or their strategy consultant.
Demonstrate Leadership
Lesser-known candidates have the same means available as the big-wigs to be seen and heard in the public domain. Take advantage of this leveled communications playing field. It's empowering that no physical or online barrier exists to stop any candidate from demonstrating leadership. Show compassion, provide encouragement to an anxious and shaken community...Candidates have a prime opportunity to step up now. Demonstrate what kind of leader you are and what voters can expect when you're elected to office. Indecisive and oblivious behavior now equals faltering and disconnected behavior later.
Candidates, show the voters who you are, connect with voters authentically, and demonstrate the kind of leadership now voters can expect from you in office. These practices will keep your momentum going throughout the 2020 campaign season.
Contact me at pamela@trooppr.com if you have questions or concerns about reaching voters during your campaign.