Campaigns & Strategy

avril, divya, stephanie

Campaigns & strategy

An interactive infographic

Begin

Click on any shape to learn more about the topic, have fun!

Structural Limitations

Voter Behavior Models

Demographic Factors

Voter Behavior in Pennsylvania

Campaign Strategy

(our candidates' strategies)

Media & Building a Connection with Voters

Finance Laws & Compliance

Timeline

News and Publicity with Johnifer Doe

MIDDLE

END

BEGINNING

Check out our example candidates!

Janice Doe

Jane Doe

Johnifer Doe

Jane Doe

Running for US President

Jane Doe is a white women who grew up lower-middle class in Pennsylvania and is an honors graduate from Harvard Law School. She has 30 years of experience in law working as an attorney, law firm executive, and professor at Harvard. Jane advocates for lessening tax disparities between the elite and common people by increasing taxes for the well off and decreasing taxes for the middle class. She cares deeply about criminal justice reform and keeping prejudice and racism out of our justice system. Jane empathizes deeply with the parents and children whose safety are seemingly in constant threat from shooter violence and strives to bring stricter gun laws.

Voter Behavior Models

Voter Behavior models can help us predict how voters will think then they're voting and how this will affect their vote. There are four main models voters will use: straight-ticket, retrospective, prospectve, and rational choice voting. Let's break them down!

When a voter acts in their self-interest to vote for the candidate they think will provide them with the most favorable outcomes.

When voters choose entire slate of candidates for every office based solely on their associated party with one single ballot mark.

When a voter uses a candidate's promises or future plans to determine their vote.

Title

Straight-ticket voting

Retrospective voting

Rationale choice voting

Use this side to give more information about a topic.

When a voter uses the candidate's past actions to dictate their vote.

Prospective voting

Subtitle

Test your learning!

Johnifer Doe (Republican)

Running for House to represent Pennsylvania

Johnifer Doe is a white man who grew up lower-middle class and studied law at Yale . He is running for the 2nd Congressional district of Pennsylvania. Having grown up knowing the difficulties of financial instability, Johnifer is adament about supporting small businesses and starters. He believes regulation has gone too far and is hindering business productivity in Pennsylvania. He also feels strongly that Pennsylvania needs infrastructure reform to build a safety road system for the people. Johnifer is passionate about representening and advocating for the needs of Pennsylvanians.

Media & Connection with Voters

Media can be an extremely powerful tool in political campigns including through TV, radio, social media apps like Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok, by mail, email, billboards, and more. It can be used to spread the word about a candidate's goals and stances on political issues as well as what they intend to do for the people. Social media is a common way candidates overcome barriers in appealing to their potential voters and to target certain demographics by using social media algorithms to reach the demographic they need to. Modern political campaigns rely a lot on social media and media in general to get their message to a targeted audience. For example, a political candidate might spend extra time and resources campaigning on Instagram in hopes to reach younger voters from 18-25 years old.

Social Media Fact Sheet by Pew Research Center

Know your Voter Base:The most important distinction between campaigns at Congression al, HoR, and national levels is the focus of their voter base. Here, we can separate Congress and House from presidential campaigns. In our candidates, Janice and Johnifer (Congress and House) focus on the demographic of Pennsylvania's districts, such as those about age, noted below:

Structural and Demographic Factors

Title

• 18-29 year olds had 31.7% voter turnout (one of the highest in the country) and tended to vote democratically
• 30-44 year olds also tended to vote democratically but by a slim margin (55% voted dem)
• Voters of 45+ preferred republican candidates

Use this side to give more information about a topic.

Subtitle

Contrasting iwth these statistics, our presidential candidate, Jane Doe, had us research national voter demographic statistics to determine her campaign strategy. Below, we reference statistics used for age to draw a comparison for how the age demographic defers from the state to national level.

• 18-29 : 14% of voter population; 54% Democratic + 43% Republican
• 30-44 : 23% of voter population; 51% Democratic + 47% Republican
• 45-64 : 35% of voter population; 44% Democratic + 54% Republican
• 65+ : 28% of voter population; 49% Democratic + 50% Republican

Johnifer Doe's Media Strategies

Johnifer's main target audiences are small business owners, drivers and users of public transit, and the common man. For a very specific demographic of small business owners, Johnifer will have to do some campaigning on facebook and other social media applications like Instagram that small businesses owners use to market themselves. He will also travel around the state, and mainly the 2nd congressional district of Pennsylvania, to meet with indivudals who run local small businesses in order show his support for them. Of course, these meetings showcasing Johnifer's sympathy and graditude towards small business owners can be filmed and broadcasted through media outlets like our campaign social medias and local news networks.

Listen to a radio campaign ad for Johnifer Doe in targeting small business owners!

Finance Laws & Compliance

Though the federal election Comission enforces finance laws on a federal level, states are able to add more regulations to fit their state's needs. Federal elections:

• Individual donations are limited to $3,500 per person to a candidate, though primary and general elections are considered seperate.
• Individual donations are limited to $5,000 to a PAC.
• $100 limit for cash donations
• $50 limit for anonymous donations
• Multi-candidate PAC are limited to $5,000 to a candidate.
• Nonmulti-candidate PAC are limited to $3,500 to a candidate.

In Pennsylvania:

• Any candidate or political committee that is authorized by a candidate and made only to influence the election after receiving a contribution or pledge or having an independent expenditure of $500 or more after the final pre-primary report must report the activity to an apropriate supervisor within 24 hours.
• Those who file required reports will be given a late filing fee everyday until turned in. The first 6 days will create $20 fees, then the 10 days after will create $10 fees so that a maximum total of $250 can be built up for a report.
• In a political comittee, the treasureer is reposnsible for filing the reports.

Citizens United vs FEC

State/Federal

Next

Voter Behavior Models

Voter Behavior models can help us predict how voters will think then they're voting and how this will affect their vote. There are four main models voters will use: straight-ticket, retrospective, prospectve, and rational choice voting. Let's break them down!

When a voter acts in their self-interest to vote for the candidate they think will provide them with the most favorable outcomes.

When voters choose entire slate of candidates for every office based solely on their associated party with one single ballot mark.

When a voter uses a candidate's promises or future plans to determine their vote.

Title

Straight-ticket voting

Retrospective voting

Rationale choice voting

Use this side to give more information about a topic.

When a voter uses the candidate's past actions to dictate their vote.

Prospective voting

Subtitle

Test your learning!

Janice Doe (Democrat)

Running for Senate To Represent Pennsylvania

Janice Doe is an 58 year-old African American woman. Having grown up middle class and recieved a scholarship to Stanford University to study law, Janice promises to ensure the safety and rights of Pennsylvanians. She advocates for stricter gun laws to fight gang and shooter violence. She believes the people of Pennsylvania deserve peace of mind and safety. Janice also strives to protect and consolidate reproductive rights for women. She cares deeply for the women that have been failed by the government to protect their rights to their bodies and choices. Janice also believes strongly in protecting the environment and offsetting the damage already done to nature through energy policy and regulation..

One way Johnifer Doe can use a voter behavior model is the retrospective voting model. Johnifer can appeal to older, most likely white populations in Pennsylvania by reminiscing on the Regan adminsistration. Additionally, through his advocacy for public transportation and infrastructure reform, he can use the prospective voting model by promising his voters that he will take several measures to make infrastructure more efficient. He can also use the rational-choice voting model to appeal to small business owners and entreprenuers who are part of interest groups that support their demographic such as the PA Chamber of Business & Industry ( ). By connecting and interacting with the PA Chamber and hopefully being endorsed by them by promising to enact policies that will benefit them such as tax relief, he will show his support and loytalty with business owners and gain votes.

Johnifer Doe

For her campaign, Janice would rely on the prospective voter behavior model to encourage voters to cast their ballots in her favor because she would be running against an incumbent, similarly democratic candidate (John Fetterman). She would do this by explicitly telling her potential voters what she promises to do like implement stricter gun regulations, appeal to environmentally concious voters and promise to enact policies that will protect it. Because 61% of Pennsylvanian voters support abortion being legal in all (29%) or most cases (32%), Janice would appeal to those voters by promising her loyalty in protecting and fighting for reproductive rights ( ). She would also focus on what she has to offer that Fetterman doesn't such as her support for Palestine and lack of hipocrasy between strict gun (anti-violence) regulations and stance on the violence in the Middle East, and thus be able to split and gain some of what would have been Fetterman's straight-ticket votes.

Janice Doe

Jane Doe

Jane Doe will primarly use the straight-ticket model of voter behavior to secure votes from typically democratic-voting populations. Further, she can appeal to Pennsylvania specifically by using her origin and home state of Pennsylvania to appeal to Pennsylvannian voters in the swing state. She can also use the rational-choice voting behavior model by verifying her perspective on issues like gun violence and bipartisan topics like tax disparities. This will encouarge votes from demographics that are effected by these issues like families/parents, the middle class, small business owners, teachers (and other school admin), and younger voters in or freshly out of school. These stances could make or break support for her campaign. Secondary focus on third party issues to integrate more voters into bipartisan races. She can also integrate third party desires like peace & non-violence (gun regulations) and social justice reform (tax inequalities) .

Communicating the Message

• Presidential: Television
• HoR & Senate: Cost-effective designated media markets →direct mail that communicates a targeted message to specific demographics
• All: Social media
• micro-targeting using methods that evaluate political data combined with commercial data
• Web tools ex. banner ads, emails, social media videos

Structural Voting Barriers

There are certain problems with the current polling sites in Pennsylvania.

• Language barriers that cause the voting process for those unable to speak Spanish, Native American languages, Asian languages, and Alaskan Natives languages to become unessecarily difficult.
• Errors with signatures, dates, etc that cause mail-in ballots to become discarded, causing voters to lose the ability to actually vote.

• Lower levels of political education and connection in the younger generations(and even in the general public) causing lower engagement.

These issues cause lower political efficiacy, which reduces voter turnout. In order to overcome this, all candidates must gain trust in the public and must continue to spread awareness of their goals. The more transparent. yet logically and emotionally valid the candidate is, the more likely people are to vote. Use social media and gain support of corporations, unions, and PACs so that even more media attention can be brought to the candidate.

Get Out The Vote (GOTV):

• focus turns to getting known supporters to the polls
• video messages on SM, phone calls, door-to-door efforts, etc.

Accessibility at the State Level:

• Pennsylvania utilizes absentee/mail-in ballot, can be turned in advance of Election day
• ^^accessibility & increased perceived efficacy

We can see the separation between different campaign strategies at the state and national level thrrough our example candidates, who demonstrate use of voting models and demographics to create their respective campaign narratives.

Janice Doe

Johnifer Doe

Jane Doe

Voting Behavior Model

retrospective voting model, and rational-choice voting model

straight ticket & rational-choice voting model

prospective voting model

1. environmental protection (energy policies)2. Pro-Choice 3. Stricter Gun Laws

1. Supporting small businesses 2. infrastructure reform 3. Support Public transportation, making things accessible for the common man

1. Stricter Gun Laws2. Closing class divides 3. Criminal justice reform

Key Issues Emphasis

Tone & Communication Style

1. Experience on both sides of the law2. Emphasis on protecting schools 3. Lowering disparity between classes

1. The environment is our world 2. importance on education 3. identity as a woman

1.Law enforcement →(Interstate safety)2. Making infrastructure better, including public transport 3. Everyday people are priority

• Using anecdotal examples of where other candidates "slip up" and show losing touch with their demographic
• Look for moments where incumbent no longer accurately represents their district re-elected incumbents may have had access/connections to the numerous public campaign resources/affiliated groups →could limit competition by restricting resources→ limits accountability of the incumbent
• Attack Congressional advantage of sending constituents mail to get an incumbent in Congress’s visibility & name recognition out to potential voters.

Some Strategies to overcome incumbency factors:

General Points of Interest:

• Down ballot race: campaign at the local/state level
• Avoiding ballot fall-off: difference in votes for national v. local races
• Utilization/avoidance of negative ads: ads critical of a candidate’s opponent

Fundraising/Work to be Done:

• Presidential: can have paid staffers & political consultants for press relations, comms, etc.
• State: Candidate may have to do all the funding, direct mail design, social media, voter contact, & press activity

General Points of Interest:

• Down ballot race: campaign at the local/state level
• Avoiding ballot fall-off: difference in votes for national v. local races
• Utilization/avoidance of negative ads: ads critical of a candidate’s opponent

Fundraising/Work to be Done:

• Presidential: can have paid staffers & political consultants for press relations, comms, etc.
• State: Candidate may have to do all the funding, direct mail design, social media, voter contact, & press activity

Communicating the Message

• Presidential: Television
• HoR & Senate: Cost-effective designated media markets →direct mail that communicates a targeted message to specific demographics
• All: Social media
• micro-targeting using methods that evaluate political data combined with commercial data
• Web tools ex. banner ads, emails, social media videos

Get Out The Vote (GOTV):

• focus turns to getting known supporters to the polls
• video messages on SM, phone calls, door-to-door efforts, etc.

Accessibility at the State Level:

• Pennsylvania utilizes absentee/mail-in ballot, can be turned in advance of Election day
• ^^accessibility & increased perceived efficacy

Know your Voter Base:The most important distinction between campaigns at Congression al, HoR, and national levels is the focus of their voter base. Here, we can separate Congress and House from presidential campaigns. In our candidates, Janice and Johnifer (Congress and House) focus on the demographic of Pennsylvania's districts, such as those about age, noted below:

Structural and Demographic Factors

Title

• 18-29 year olds had 31.7% voter turnout (one of the highest in the country) and tended to vote democratically
• 30-44 year olds also tended to vote democratically but by a slim margin (55% voted dem)
• Voters of 45+ preferred republican candidates

Use this side to give more information about a topic.

Subtitle

Contrasting iwth these statistics, our presidential candidate, Jane Doe, had us research national voter demographic statistics to determine her campaign strategy. Below, we reference statistics used for age to draw a comparison for how the age demographic defers from the state to national level.

• 18-29 : 14% of voter population; 54% Democratic + 43% Republican
• 30-44 : 23% of voter population; 51% Democratic + 47% Republican
• 45-64 : 35% of voter population; 44% Democratic + 54% Republican
• 65+ : 28% of voter population; 49% Democratic + 50% Republican

One way Johnifer Doe can use a voter behavior model is the retrospective voting model. Johnifer can appeal to older, most likely white populations in Pennsylvania by reminiscing on the Regan adminsistration. Additionally, through his advocacy for public transportation and infrastructure reform, he can use the prospective voting model by promising his voters that he will take several measures to make infrastructure more efficient. He can also use the rational-choice voting model to appeal to small business owners and entreprenuers who are part of interest groups that support their demographic such as the PA Chamber of Business & Industry ( ). By connecting and interacting with the PA Chamber and hopefully being endorsed by them by promising to enact policies that will benefit them such as tax relief, he will show his support and loytalty with business owners and gain votes.

Johnifer Doe

For her campaign, Janice would rely on the prospective voter behavior model to encourage voters to cast their ballots in her favor because she would be running against an incumbent, similarly democratic candidate (John Fetterman). She would do this by explicitly telling her potential voters what she promises to do like implement stricter gun regulations, appeal to environmentally concious voters and promise to enact policies that will protect it. Because 61% of Pennsylvanian voters support abortion being legal in all (29%) or most cases (32%), Janice would appeal to those voters by promising her loyalty in protecting and fighting for reproductive rights ( ). She would also focus on what she has to offer that Fetterman doesn't such as her support for Palestine and lack of hipocrasy between strict gun (anti-violence) regulations and stance on the violence in the Middle East, and thus be able to split and gain some of what would have been Fetterman's straight-ticket votes.

Janice Doe

Jane Doe

Jane Doe will primarly use the straight-ticket model of voter behavior to secure votes from typically democratic-voting populations. Further, she can appeal to Pennsylvania specifically by using her origin and home state of Pennsylvania to appeal to Pennsylvannian voters in the swing state. She can also use the rational-choice voting behavior model by verifying her perspective on issues like gun violence and bipartisan topics like tax disparities. This will encouarge votes from demographics that are effected by these issues like families/parents, the middle class, small business owners, teachers (and other school admin), and younger voters in or freshly out of school. These stances could make or break support for her campaign. A secondary focus effectively promoting her stance on interests that third parties concentrate on like environmental protection (policies like energy regulation) and peace & non-violence (legislative that will regulate guns) can integrate more voters .