20 April 2013 - PSCI’s Commander Kirk Lippold talks about the Boston terror attack with Neil Cavuto on Fox News.
Congratulations for our friend and colleague Kevin P. Chavous, who today was inducted into the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) hall of fame. Kevin is a tireless advocate for school choice and education reform. We salute him and organizations like BAEO, the American Federation for Children and National School Choice Week for standing up for families across our nation and demanding choice in education.
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be teaming up with National School Choice Week for their special Whistle Stop Tour from January 25 - February 2. We’re jumping on a train from Los Angeles to New York City (9 days, 14 cities/events, 3,300 miles) to celebrate and promote School Choice Week. Check out this link and train route picture to see where we’ll be and please follow @BrianJodice for video updates from the tracks. You can also follow @SchoolChoiceWk, @AndrewCamp, @SpielzOnWheels and the special train account @SCWSpecial.
Phillip Stutts is interview by CBS This Morning about crisis PR management and the ongoing gun control debate.
Phillip Stutts sat down with Fox 5 in DC this morning to discuss election results during a pair of interviews (interview #2 here).
For campaigns, the storm will alter critical last minute planning tasks, including GOTV operations, which have ground to a halt in many parts of the Mid Atlantic. The biggest worry for both presidential campaigns, says Republican strategist Phillip Stutts, is that efforts to turn out unreliable voters in states like Virginia, North Carolina and New Hampshire have now stalled.
“Since these are unreliable voters and early voting locations are shut down, it might push that voter to not vote,” warns Stutts. He thinks campaigns are likely to shift non-target states to make GOTV calls into battlegrounds affected by the storm, but messaging will have to be adjusted.
“Phone and email scripts will need to be sensitive to the devastation that a particular voter may be going through,” Stutts says. “So the message is more important than the messenger.”
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Sandy throws a wrench in GOTV plans by Shane D’Aprile, Campaigns and Elections - 29 October 2012 |
Check out Phillip Stutts talking get-out-the-vote with Riley and Scot on WROK, NewsTalk 1440, this morning. This is good insight to the steps both sides are making at November 6th approaches.
Five priorities for your GOTV operation
by Phillip Stutts; posted on Campaigns and Elections
It’s not just about having a plan; it’s about how efficiently you execute it.
The money’s raised, the ads are paid in full, and the candidate’s schedule doesn’t have a free minute until November 6. Yep, it’s that time of year, the final days of the campaign.
So what does it take to sprint to the finish line looking like a Get-Out-The-Vote Svengali? It’s not just about having a brilliant plan; it’s about how efficiently you execute it.
Here are five lessons learned from 16 years of working with campaigns and managing GOTV teams that your campaign can draw from ahead of Election Day.
1. The Plan: The plan should already be in place. How one prioritizes voter turnout operations will be the key to making sure the right voters get to the polls. If you are running turnout operations, you don’t need to be the guy running out to knock on doors. Your management of staff and volunteers is more important than your volunteer capabilities. That means organizing schedules, managing personalities and putting people’s strengths to work in a way that prioritizes turnout for your candidate or party.
2. It’s Half Over by Election Day: If you think November 6th is the only day to turn out voters, you could be leaving half the electorate off the table. The trend across the country is to vote early (in-person or absentee) so prioritize your plan to target all of your voters. It’s one of the biggest pitfalls in campaigns these days because every state changes their early vote schedules and rules so frequently. Even if you haven’t made a big early vote push up until now, there still may be time. Know the law, know your turnout priorities, and don’t neglect early/absentee voting.
3. The Schedule: The old adage of “first one in, last to leave” has never been as important as it is here. If one truly wants to be efficient in turning out the vote, plan your staff and volunteer schedules, up to the minute, before the day begins. And when all is said and done at the end of the day, spend some time to evaluate whether everyone was used effectively and make the necessary changes for the following day.
4. Proper Messaging: Keep it simple. Keep it on message. If voters are concerned about the economy and your volunteers are knocking on doors pushing water rights issues, you are wasting time and leaving votes on the table. GOTV messaging should focus on 1-2 issues and a strong reminder to vote. Consider scaring the hell out of your voters. You may think this is a joke—it’s not. A passive voter may not vote. But a voter that fears for his or her future will vote and they will probably take family and friends to the polls as well.
5. Proper Messenger: If you think a 14 year old knocking on doors and talking about economic issues is the right messenger for your campaign, think again. Spend some time thinking about how to use each volunteer and how they can best convey your campaign’s message. Consider putting teens on calls and letting them help with social media GOTV. Consider staff and adults the face of the campaign—i.e. door-to-door and event messaging moments.
The political strategists get the glory, but the GOTV team is the guts of the campaign. Having been through close races and a recount, your efficiency with turning out voters could be the difference between winning and losing. Good luck!
@PhillipStutts is president of Phillip Stutts & Company, a political/grassroots consulting firm.
