Facilitating A Successful Levy Campaign Dave Kielmeyer Vice President Funk Luetke Skunda Marketing.

Facilitating A Successful Levy CampaignDave Kielmeyer

Vice PresidentFunk Luetke Skunda Marketing

Current levy environment

Early considerations

Know your voter

Cultivate the “Grass tops”

Building an infrastructure

Implementing the campaign

Agenda

Current Levy Environment

Skepticism is widespread

Economic times are tough

Growing number of tax issues

Local issues bear brunt of tax frustration

“No New Tax” attitude – New tax initiatives have low passage

rate– Renewal and replacements more

successful

Current Levy Environment

No one pays attention

Saturated lifestyle

Information overload

Current Levy Environment

The Good News

The public will accept a contract

Voter empathy for MRDD

Social service requests often more palatable

– less money than “big-ticket” measures like schools

Early Considerations

Business case

What do we want? What do we really need?

What is the public benefit?

Quantify the ask

Do the numbers add up?

Early Considerations

The importance of research

What does the public think?

What does community leadership/political leadership think?

Know Your Voter – Secondary Research

Previous vote history– Who has supported us in the past– Who has voted against us in the past

General election vs. special/primary election

Absentee voters

Know Your Voter – Primary Research (Polling)

Who do we talk to? How?– Likely voters based on vote history– Random sample of at least 300– Phone survey

Know Your Voter – Primary Research (Polling)

What do we ask?– Attitudes about MRDD programs and

services– Attitudes on board’s money

management/fiscal responsibility– Message testing – would you be more

likely to vote for if you knew…– Would they vote for levy– Amount of funding they would support --

New, Replacement, Renewal– Demographics – age, sex, race

Know Your Voter – Primary Research (Polling)

When do we Poll? – 6 to 9 months prior to election to

gather data to help make decision on feasibility of passage/what to request

– “Tracker Poll” 2 to 4 weeks prior to election to see if anything has changed

Know Your Voter

Election Environment

Analyze the election cycle– Historically when have we been the

most successful? Primary?, General Election?, Large Turnout?

Threats/opportunities– What else is on the ballot?

Optimize your turnout– Turnout the YES vote

Cultivate the Grass tops

Early, regular communications with:– County commissioners– Other local elected officials– Community leaders – business,

service organizations, chamber, major employers etc.

Levy request must be politically palatable to leadership and voters

Building an Infrastructure

Leadership

Internal champion

External credibility

Financial point person

Building an Infrastructure

Winning with people

Building coalitions

Optimizing funding by Labor Day

Building an Infrastructure

Professional help

Research

Counsel

Campaign support

Criteria for selection

Building an Infrastructure

Pre-campaign support

Basic campaign case

Grass tops buy-in

Highly visible opportunities for public input

Raising awareness

Getting on the Ballot

Deadline is 75 days before election

Know requirements and practices locally

Prepare all specifics of your request—amount of request, length of levy

Resources: Board of Elections, County Auditor

Authorizing resolution must be passed by county commissioners

Implementing the Campaign

Theme

Peg to benefits

Keep it simple

Make it memorable

Implementing the Campaign

Strategic Plan

Voter targets

Tactical mix

Time line

Execution – who?

Implementing the Campaign

Direct Voter Contact

Absentee contact

Direct Mail

Speakers bureau

Phone

Events

Door-to-door

Poll greeters

Implementing the Campaign

Mass Media

Outdoor – signs vs. billboards

Radio

Print

Television

Implementing the Campaign

Free/earned media

Editor cultivation

Creative events

Case studies

Summary

Assume voters will be ambivalent/skeptical/hostile

Find out where you stand

Get your act together

Pre-condition the grass tops

Make the campaign efficient

Enjoy your success