INSTRUCTIONS:

• If schools would like to hold an election for their convention candidate, you may conduct the election at your schools.
• Candidates will be able to continue to utilize the Kids Voting website and social media sites to assist their campaign.
• Candidates will want to consider selecting “Precinct Captains” to assist with outreach and campaigning at each different school.
• Each candidate will want to recruit a team of volunteers to build their campaign team/staff. The size of the team/staff as well as the strategy of the campaign will depend on the type of campaign each candidate wants to run and how aggressive they want their campaign to be.
• Share with the students some basic aspects of a campaign:
  • Campaign Manager – This volunteer assists the candidate with the day-to-day management of the overall campaign, including: developing a campaign plan and implementing that plan; overseeing the various aspects of the campaign; and providing the candidate with strategic advice during the campaign.
  • Social Media – This is quickly becoming the number one-way candidate reach voters and delegates and spread their message. Most campaign have a volunteer entirely dedicated to keeping social media content fresh and relevant.
  • Advertising – For the Kids Voting Convention, advertising will be planning and executing online ads, either print or video, that will be posted on the campaign web page on the Kids Voting Convention website.
  •  Issues Research – A successful candidate knows the issues that are important to their delegates and the voters. Every campaign has volunteers dedicated to keeping the candidate informed of what issues are currently important and the various positions on the issues. They also work with the Campaign Manager to make recommendations for policy position for the candidate to take. They also help the candidate develop top issues for the campaign. This role is most important leading up to debates, as they play a critical role in making sure the candidate is prepared for the debate.
  • Opposition Research – This volunteer helps by collecting background information on the other candidates seeking the nomination and assisting the campaign and campaign team in developing areas or issues that can be contrasted in the campaign in an effort to win voter support.
  • General Volunteers – No candidate or campaign team can reach all the voters on their own. Every campaign depends on a dedicated team of volunteers who are willing and able to advocate on behalf of the candidate and win the support of voters. The more volunteers a campaign has, the more voters they reach.
  • Delegates and Alternates – Whether a candidate succeeds or not depends on winning the support of a majority of the delegates at their party’s convention. Successful campaigns both actively sign up their supporters as delegates and alternates for their party’s convention or works to win the support of already registered delegates and alternates. Doing this ahead of the convention may prove the difference for a candidate.
• After all ballots are completed and returned to Kids Voting, a time will be designated when all the votes will be tabulated. Candidates can give victory and consolation speeches, depending on the election results.

POSSIBLE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• How do the different political parties and candidates run their campaigns?
• What do you consider to be the most effective way candidates and political parties reach out to potential voters?
• Discuss the pros and cons of negative ads.
• What current issues are important to the voters?
• How can you, as a candidate, convince the voters that you are the candidate best suited to be Governor?
• Discuss how candidates for office, particularly for state-wide office or President, reach as many voters as possible, especially when they can’t be everywhere.

MORE:

• Invite a local candidate or elected official to talk about the campaign process.
• Have students study different candidates’ and parties’ websites and social media sites to identify unique ways each party and candidate uses to persuade voters to support them in the election.