How to Get Out The Vote

GraVandius

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How to Get Out The Vote

Hi all, I've contemplated doing this in the past and I figured that now was as good as a time as any to get it out, as there are at least four people who could make use of it. :p This guides starts at minimum probably like 2 days before the election

Step 1) Check The Citizenship Spreadsheet. Here
This effectively is your list of people to contact as they are the only potential voters. Copy and paste the names into a spreadsheet, preferably google docs so you can easily share it with your running mate.

Step 2) Determine who is contacting who
Generally if your running mate has a closer relationship with a citizen they should probably be the one reaching out to them. Similarly if you (as the FM candidate) have a closer relationship with a citizen you should definetly be the one reaching out to them. For every one else, the top of the ticket candidate can either do the majority of the reaching out or the two of you can split it as if it's a really competitive race its a lot to do on ones own. Additionally, it's probably a good idea to add a column in the spreadsheet to keep track of who has been reached out to so the both of you are not jumping into peoples dms at the same time. Lastly don’t bother sending campaign messages to other candidates (obviously) or people who have already publicly endorsed another candidate.

Step 3) Determine how you are contacting the Citizen
Once you've determined who is reaching out to the citizen, it is next necessary to determine what is the best way to reach them. For most people this is likely going to be just a Discord DM. However, some people either don't have a discord or are mostly only active through the RMB. These people are generally long shots to reply at all but you mine as well send them a forum PM or a game-side telegram.

Step 4) The Message
For lurkers/newer citizens a general form message where you just change the name in the message is sufficient. It's important to start the message with noting why you are dming them, giving the context of Europeia the election and that you are running. I've provided a example below:
Hey [Name] [IMG width="16px" alt="?"]https://discordapp.com/assets/66f6c781fe86c346fbaf3390618668fc.svg[/IMG] , I'm not sure if you know or not but Europeia is having it's first, first minister election (head of the internal ministries) tomorrow and I am part of a ticket with [Running Mate]. Our platform is here ([Link]). We would love to answer any questions you have and would obviously be honored by your support tomorrow!
This is obviously a day-before message but it obviously gives the necessary context to someone who might not know why you are dming them.
For more established members of the community or people you know more personally you definitely should send them a more personalized or more conversational message. You won’t send your friend a cold call message so definetly don’t do so here. Further, someone who’s been kicking around the region for awhile now obviously doesn’t need the same reminders that a new member does and might not appreciate a cold call type message. The message to them should definitely be more on the lines of asking thier thoughts on the election or more specifically your campaign and if there is anything you can do to asuage their concerns.

Step 5) Conversation
I don’t really have any specific advice for this but evidently it’s likely that the citizen could respond to the cold call message. If your lucky they may immediately indicate that they are going to vote for you and then all you need to do is thank them. However, if it’s a more conversational approach obviously just talk to them. Awnser their concerns and be honest thought out the conversation. If instead they state they support another candidate maybe ask if there are any key reasons why and address those or simply thank them for their time and move on.

Step 6) Follow Up
Make sure once polls open to provide the link to everyone who stated that you had their support, especially if they are a less than active member of the community or new. Definitely try to be as available as possible during election day to address any last minute concerns from people who may still be on the fence. Also make sure to continue to use a spreadsheet to track who follows up with who.

Step 7) Runoff
If you have the unfortunate luck of being stuck in a runoff you are going to want to start by sending a note to everyone who voted for you the first time providing them the new thread at which to vote and breaking the news that you’ve made it to the runoff. It’s helpful to end the message me emphasizing that you need their support to win. Next you want to approach people who voted for candidates that did not make the runnoff with a short pitch about your campaign etc. It may also be worth it to send your condolences to the losing FM/SM candidates and seeing on where they stand. An endorsement either publicly or privately to their supporters may make the difference in a tight runoff election. Again track these efforts in a spreadsheet in order to not overload anyone with multiple messages.

That’s effectively all the advice I have on this topic. Get Out The Vote efforts is something that has made the difference in many a Europeian election. If you really put in the effort and reach out to people you can easily outperform whatever the polls are saying your support is at the time. I wish all the candidates best of luck and really look forward to a competitive election!
 
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