HOW TO WIN AN ELECTION

(Lessons from the Experts)

Ateneo School of Government

© 2006
Outline of the Presentation

 PREPARING TO WIN
 Assessing yourself as a candidate
 Knowing the political terrain
 Choosing the members of the team
 Strategizing

 RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN

 You as the candidate
 Logistical and operation requirements
 Your communications plan

 AFTER ELECTION DAY: THE REAL BATTLE BEGINS

 PREPARING TO WIN:
ASSESSING YOURSELF AS A CANDIDATE

 NINE (9) THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN RUNNING (p. 24)

1. INTENTIONS (good or bad)

2. QUALIFICATIONS (discussed also later in class)

Filipino Citizenship/ registered voter/ 1 year residency/ read and write
and age requirements (21 for LGU officials/ 25 for HOR/ 35 for Senate,
etc.
3. VALUES (basic moral and spiritual tenets)
4. PERSONALITY (intrinsic or externally friendly)
5. REPUTATION (dossiers of opponents)
6. SUPPORT MECHANISM (family, parties, campaign teams)
7. FINANCES (own money and external sources (party/
friends/ etc.)
8. FITNESS (health, exhaustion, etc.)
9. CHANCES OF WINNING
 ASSESSING YOURSELF AS A CANDIDATE

MUSTS TO WIN (p.33)

1. A good and marketable candidate
2. A bailiwick or at least areas that can be penetrated
3. A decent pool of resources
4. Affiliation with the right people or organizations
5. A well-planned strategy
6. A machinery

VOTERS AND PROSPECTIVE DONORS QUESTIONS TO NEWCOMERS: (p.

34)
Who are you?
What have you proven?
What else can you do
KNOWING THE POLITICAL TERRAIN

Knowing the Battlefield (pp. 36 to 40)

 Scan the political environment
 The voters
 The SPEECS situation in the area

The stakeholders and players
 Putting all in your database
 Size up the opponents

Their SW
 Their allies and enemies
 Classify areas of strengths and weaknesses

Mapping your balliwicks (political mapping)
CHOOSING THE MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM
(pp. 46-57)
 OPERATIONS
 from pre-campaign to post election
 FINANCE
 Fund raising
 Budgeting
 Managing expenses
 Suggested allocation per voter for governor P 200
for representatives 250
for mayors 500
 COMMUNICATIONS
 What to project (image: reformist, better than the opponent)
 How to project (slogans, stickers, etc.)
 SUPPORT
 Researchers
 Political officers
 Legal experts
 Think tank
 Kitchen cabinet
STRATEGIZING (pp. 58 to 63)
 WHY
 Be clear about the rationale of your plan
 Compartmentalize
 HOW
 Define your main approach

Special operations

Media projection
 Organization
 WHAT
 Spell out sub-strategies that should fit into the main
approach
 WHO
 Identify people in charge
 WHEN
 Set a time table or deadline.
RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN:
YOU AS THE CANDIDATE (p. 71 to 74)
 PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
 Dress appropriately
 Limit the color scheme to two to three at most
 Choice of eyeglasses
 BASIC REQUIREMENTS IN COURTING THE
ELECTORATE
 Improve your awareness level (the public must know
you)
 Build a good public image
 Master the art of public speaking
 PUBLIC SPEAKING DO’S
 Be clear
 Be focused
 Be compelling
 Be creative
 Be concise
 LOGISTICAL AND OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (p.
79)
CANDIDATE CAMPAIGN TIMELINE
MIDDLE NEAR THE END END ELECTION DAY

Organize, participate in  Increase visibility Keep the  Remind supporters

public forum, debates, town momentum to vote
hall meetings with voters
 Generate news, issue Send targeted mail and e-  Launch final Show confidence
press releases, grant mail ads round of phone and when casting the
interviews door to door ballot
campaigning for
undecided voters
Send out fundraising  Do final round of fund-  Contact all  Provide services to
letters, call back supporters raising supporters to help supporters
remind them to reach the polling
vote early precincts
 Contact undecided voters Do intensified telephone and Issue statements  Monitor voter

door to door visits to respond to all turnout

Hold neighborhood events
for undecided voters
 Distribute signs and
materials to increase name
identification
Increase volunteer
base and organize go
out and vote efforts
attacks
 Mobilize supporters with Call supporters
reminders about e-day and who have not voted
opportunities for early voting
 Maximize publicity by
distributing all printed
election materials
Issue regular
statements, press
releases
YOUR COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

 FAIR ELECTIONS ACT (R.A. 9006) (p. 101)

 Print advertisements should not be more than ¼ page
in broadsheets and half a page in tabloids three times a
week per newspaper, magazine, or other publication
 National candidates may use not more than 120
minutes of ads for TV and 180 minutes of ads for radio.
 Local candidates may use no more than 60 minutes of
television ads and 90 minutes of radio ads.
 MAINTAINING GOOD MEDIA RELATIONS
 WHAT MEIDUM TO USE (p. 104)
 Television 67% credibility rating
 Radio 20%
 Newspaper 5%
AFTER ELECTION DAY: THE REAL BATTLE
BEGINS

 HAVE YOUR WATCHERS, SUPPORTERS READY FOR

COUNTING
 WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR: (p. 109)
 Rumor that you have quit, gotten dissatisfied, or conceded
early
 Harassment, intimidation, terrorism
 Misreading and misappreciation of ballot entries, miscounting
of tallies
 Ballot box snatching to lose or replace the ballots and election
returns
 Tampering with the tallies, election returns, statement of votes,
and certificates of canvasses
 Protest cases that can financially bleed you
 Recall petition by constituents, financed by your opponents