How many times has someone asked who you plan to vote for in any given election? Better yet, how many times have you been asked “who should I vote for?” Probably more than once.
Of course you’re not the only one. People who are truly paying attention to politics tend to get more than just one vote in any given election, since they influence the votes of others around them.
Many people put VERY little thought into which candidates they will vote for when (or if) they go to the polls. Many will vote for the candidates with the highest name recognition, or the last yard sign they saw on the way to the polls. Some vote for the candidate who sent them the slickest mail pieces, or who called them on the phone or maybe even knocked on their door. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they know anything about those candidates that really matters. They just don’t have much else to go on.
That’s where your endorsement comes in. It’s the political equivalent of “word of mouth” advertising.
If you don’t believe it works, just look at the business world. Think about the products you buy, or don’t buy, or the movies you do or don’t see simply because of what someone told you. Or the books or other products you did or didn’t buy because of the reviews that they got on the internet. It’s the same thing with elections.
So why not take things to the next level and anticipate the question? Create an endorsement list and make it easy for people to know exactly who you recommend.
Creating an endorsement list is as simple as 1-2-3.
1) List each position that will be on the ballot and which candidates you support.
If you want, you could even get into “why” you support them with a brief sentence or two about each candidate, or just an overall statement at the beginning of the list about what you look for in candidates and that you feel that these candidates meet that standard.
2) Give it a title and personalize it.
Something like: “Suggested Conservative Candidates for (election year or name of the election)”, or just “Jim’s Campaign Endorsements” (if your name is Jim). You can add your name and a way to reach you if people have any questions and want to get involved in any way.
3) Share it!
Email it to everyone in your address book (that the election applies to). Post if on Facebook. Share a link to it on Twitter. Encourage others to share it. Even better, encourage other solid conservatives that you know to create and share a list of their own.
The point is that YOU have more influence on the people that you know than campaigns do – and many people will vote for a candidate simply because you suggested that they should.
Keep in mind that most people put little thought into their votes beyond the candidates that are at the top of the ticket, (who are probably running the most TV and radio ads). This means that your suggestions carry even more weight in “down ballot” races, (such as state senate and house campaigns, county or city council and school board campaigns). Even more so during special and/or local elections that are held at different times that federal elections.
Don’t make it easy for people to cast an uninformed ballot. Your recommendations can make a difference. Share them!
In terms of political messaging, fighting uphill is when you’re trying to make people care about issues and be motivated to vote on the basis of issues that they don’t currently care about, aren’t motivated by, or maybe that they aren’t even aware of.
