This is the last in a series of articles about “How to Get Elected as a Libertarian.” This article focuses on how to effectively create a mail campaign.

In summary, while campaigning as a Libertarian, it is vital to reach as many voters as possible. It is preferable to meet voters in person, but that is not always possible. In addition, if someone meets you in person, a mailing will help them remember you on election day.

It is also very important to organize your mailing campaign, which requires you to make several decisions about your mailings.

How should you start creating your mail campaign?  You could do a blanket mailing using post office or other marketing services to send out post cards or fliers.

While this may seem like the most inexpensive way to do mailings, many people throw away “junk mail,” especially during election season. In addition, you will be sending mail to non-voters and people with second homes who may vote in other areas.

Instead of mass marketed post cards, I used what I learned as a real estate broker. Our company has had much better luck with personal “Dear Neighbor” letters than with mass marketed post cards.

Remember, the purpose of the mailing is to get voters to know, like, and trust you. In my campaign letter, I included a picture and description of myself, my community activities, and my goals as an elected official.

Who should you send mailers to? Obviously the more mailers you send, the better. However, mail campaigns can be the most costly of all the campaign methods. The biggest cost is postage, envelopes, and other supplies. You also have to factor in your time.

During my campaign, I decided to only target the voters whose houses I did not visit during my door knocking. After organizing the Excel sheet from my county clerk, I tracked who I had already seen, and mailed information to the rest of the voters.

When should you send the mailers? I suggest sending them all right after the applications for mail-in ballots are sent out. You definitely want to hit as many absentee voters as possible, and many of these people vote as soon as possible.

There is nothing wrong with continuing to mail out letters after this date, right up until a couple days before the election.

In summary, mailing campaigns can help propel you to victory when running for office as a Libertarian, especially in local races!

As an elected Libertarian for a Township Trustee in a small rural northern Michigan town, I believe that the Libertarian Party of Michigan should recruit as many qualified, freedom loving candidates as possible to run for similar local roles across the state.

This concludes the Series: How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected. 

The following stories are in the series:

Libertarians: Start Now to Choose a Winning Race

Creating Your Campaign Plan

Networking: Attend Community Events / Government Meetings  

Media campaigns including social media

Political Signs

Organizing Door to Door Campaigns

Mailings

Byce & Associates presented the proposed Facilities Master Plan to the Antrim County Board of Commissioners on June 3rd. This plan includes several options for new or renovated Antrim County jail and administrative buildings. 

The one-hour presentation regarding the options can be found at 42-minute mark of this video.

The topic of a new or improved jail and administrative facilities has been shelved during the pandemic, and the original studies need updating. However, the trained and smooth consultants remain very convincing about the need for new facilities.

Several of the commissioners asked the right questions, which are some of the same questions I have.

These are my questions, in no particular order:

1. Does the county still need more room for its administration if there is now a policy allowing working at home? The county parking lot has been quite empty lately when I drive by. Do they even know what their work-at-home policy will be?

2. Have the needs of the jail changed since the study was last completed? The state has legalized marijuana, and they are promoting the Stepping Up Program to promote options to jail, which does nothing to rehabilitate anyone.

3. Whenever I hear consultants talking about industry standards, it reminds me of people trying to keep up with the Jones. Why don’t we just evaluate our own needs versus comparing ourselves with others? For example, an office of 100 square feet might be fine, until the consultants tell you that industry standards are higher, and convince you that “other counties” have bigger offices.

4. I was concerned about Ed Boettcher’s comment at the previous meeting, regarding how terrible the jail is for the employees. He repeated over and over that the break room was in a closet and was unacceptable, and stated that he wouldn’t want to work there.

My response would be that regardless of whether we value our police, most people in this county do not get special break rooms, or even breaks. If jail employees choose their place of employment based on the break room, we have a problem.

5. Will the new jail cost us more or less to operate? If it is safer and more efficient, it should be able to operate with fewer employees. Can Sheriff Bean adjust his operating budget to help fund the jail?  Sheriffs in other towns have modified their operating budgets after the building of newer and more efficient jails.

Of course, we all want the newest and the best, but the Commissioners need to be very careful spending taxpayers’ hard earned money on these projects.

A simple summary of the options is found here.The complete and complicated proposed Facilities Master Plan can be found here.

This is the fifth in a series of articles about “How to Get Elected as a Libertarian.” This article focuses on how to effectively use media and social media in your campaign.

In summary, having an effective and organized media campaign is extremely important for a Libertarian who is running for public office. Remember, your job as a candidate is to convince voters to know, like, and trust you. Obviously, you can’t meet every voter in person, so you need to use the tools that allow you to communicate with them.

Websites, social media, and traditional media are separate but related areas. You should be active on all these media throughout your entire campaign. 

Website
It is important to have an easy way for people to find you on the internet. Having a website is the first step. It’s also good to be able to send your website address to the media.

Your website doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. GoDaddy is a great place to start, as you can buy your domain name there, and also create your website. You can also create a free website on websites such as Wix.

Of course, the more extensive the website, the better. However, at the very least, your main page should have contact information and information about your background, and why citizens should vote for you.

Ideally your domain name would include your name and position, so that google picks it up. The text throughout your website should include any phrases that your voters might search for on google.

Having one good webpage at an early point in the campaign is more important than taking extra time to build and launch an extensive website. You can add webpages as your campaign progresses, or even add sections such as “events” or “issues.” These website pages about issues and events can then be promoted on social media.

Social Media
Always remember that voters are watching you on your social media, even on your personal pages. It is important to always present the image of a professional person who the voters can relate to.

You can promote your campaign by providing information and statements on your personal pages, whether Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or anywhere else you will find voters. Just don’t overdo it, and be sure you continue to have posts which are not about your campaign. Also, it is always important to show interest in others. Respond to any questions or comments, and engage them in conversations on their page. Social media is two-way. Don’t just use the media to promote yourself!

Neighborhood websites or neighborhood “pages” are also excellent places to introduce yourself to voters. Just be careful not to take over any of these pages, and post according to the rules of the administrators.

The best way I have found to reach voters is to create a separate Facebook page for your candidacy. This allows you to pay a very reasonable rate to reach people outside your circle. Again, the title of the page should include your name and the position. Include links to your website, pictures of you, and information about your candidacy. Build your audience by posting daily. Again, mix news about your stances and candidacy with human interest pictures and stories about the area, meetings, issues, etc.

Invite all your friends to like your candidate page, and tell everyone on your other social media about the new page.

Last but not least, not many people will see your page unless you pay to promote your posts. It is very cost effective to pay for Facebook ads, as they are a fraction of the cost of other media. You have to jump through Facebook’s hoops to be approved as an advertiser. However, once you are approved, for just a few dollars you can target people in your area and make sure that they see your messages.

Traditional Media Campaign
Even if you have a website and social media, it is important to have a traditional media campaign. Even if you don’t read a newspaper, many voters still do, particularly senior citizens who vote at a high rate. The same is true for traditional radio and television stations.

Start by making a complete list of all newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations in the area that you are targeting. Most of these media have websites with contact information, and some even have a special email address where you can send press releases.  Add each of these email addresses to your list.

Start out by writing an announcement about your campaign, combined with a decent professional picture. Also, include your website and social media addresses. Email the announcement and picture to each person on your media list. Take the time to write each email personally, rather than copying or blind copying each person.

Each week, think of a newsworthy event and send it to each person on the list. This could be information about events you are attending, things you are doing for the community, or statements that you make about issues in your area.

In summary, while campaigning as a Libertarian, it is vital to use the internet and traditional media to build your presence in the community.

As an elected Libertarian for a Township Trustee in a small rural northern Michigan town, I believe that the Libertarian Party of Michigan should recruit as many qualified, freedom loving candidates as possible to run for similar local roles across the state.

The topic next month will be about political signs. I welcome ideas and questions at any time at dokrieg@gmail.com.

Series: How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected: 

Libertarians: Start Now to Choose a Winning Race

Creating Your Campaign Plan

Networking: Attend Community Events / Government Meetings  

Media campaigns including social media

Political Signs

Organizing Door to Door Campaigns

Mailings

This is the fourth in a series of articles about “How to Get Elected as a Libertarian.” This article focuses on creating your campaign plan.

Once you choose a winnable race, it’s time to plan your campaign. A campaign plan does not have to be complicated or lengthy. It is simply an outline of what you hope to accomplish as you attempt to persuade voters that you deserve to be their leader.

Your campaign plan should have specific achievable goals, broken down as much as possible. Each campaign plan should include the following details:

1. Voter research: Obtain a list of voters from your county clerk and find out how many likely voters there are. How many votes do you need to win? Who is your opposition?
2. Campaign workers: who will volunteer to help you? What will each of them do? Will you designate one person to be in charge?
3. Messaging: what issues will you stress while campaigning? How will you showcase your strength and experience?
4. Future articles will be more detailed regarding signs, mailings, social media, print media ads, door to door campaigns, and more. For your business plan, you should outline how much you will spend on each of those areas, and when/where/how you will spend it.a. How many signs do you want to put up and where? What is the sign ordinance in your area? How will you find places to put up signs? What is the cost of signs, and where will you obtain them?b. How many media ads do you want to run, and in which publications? When should you run these ads? What should they look like?
   c. A website is necessary for promoting your campaign. What will this website look like? Who will create and maintain it?d. Social media is very helpful and necessary to be competitive in a contested race. Which social media will you use? Will you create a special page? Will you spend money on ads? Again: when, where, and how?e. Door to door campaign: Every Libertarian who has ever won a contested race has run a strong door-to-door campaign. Future articles will discuss this in detail, but take a look at that list you got from the county clerk and make a goal for how many households you will visit each week.f. Mailings: These can be expensive, but may be necessary if you plan to reach every voter. You can use the same list of voters that you use for a door-to-door campaign. There are many options for mailings, which will be discussed in a future column.
5. Campaign fundraising: how much money will you need to accomplish your goals? This calculation will involve adding up the amounts you will need for signs, mailings, media ads, and any other expenses. Once you estimate how much money you will need, how will you obtain this money? Will you self-fund, or ask others? How many people will you need to donate to reach your goals?

Obviously, your campaign plan must be flexible, as it will be modified many times as the campaign plays out. Optimally, you would review your campaign plan weekly to see how things may need to be changed.

In summary, having a campaign plan is necessary if you are running in a contested race for public office. Hopefully this article helps you start thinking about what this plan might be. As a recently elected Libertarian for a Township Trustee in a small rural northern Michigan town, I believe that the Libertarian Party of Michigan should recruit as many qualified, freedom loving candidates as possible to run for similar local roles across the state.

The topic next month will be about networking: attending community events. I welcome ideas and questions at any time at dokrieg@gmail.com.

Series: How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected: 

Libertarians: Start Now to Choose a Winning Race

Creating Your Campaign Plan

Networking: Attend Community Events / Government Meetings  

Media campaigns including social media

Political Signs

Organizing Door to Door Campaigns

Mailings

This is the second in a series of articles about “How to Get Elected as a Libertarian.” As a recently elected Libertarian for a Township Trustee in a small rural northern Michigan town, I believe that the Libertarian Party of Michigan should recruit as many qualified, freedom loving candidates as possible to run for similar local roles across the state. 

This article focuses on how to get started with the process of choosing a winnable race.

Learn How Your Local Government Works
How and when do you decide which position to run for? My advice is to start NOW! It may seem like the next election is far away, but there is a lot of work to be done! Start with a baby step: simply attend your local government meetings and ask questions! It’s important to get a feel for your local government: the structure, the people, and the issues.

Starting with the most local position gives you the best chance to win. The number of people you need to reach is more manageable than state level positions, which require fundraising just to have a small chance to be elected. In Michigan, depending where you live, the local positions are at the township, village, or city level. County positions are also great choices, as each county is divided into districts. Often a County Commissioner and a Township Trustee have similar numbers of constituents. 

There are numerous other boards and committees in each township, village, city, or county. For example, there are commissions and boards for zoning, planning, water, sewer, parks, fire and ambulance, housing, roads, and of course schools.

Some of these boards have members who are appointed, and some are elected. Some of those who are elected run in partisan races, which means that candidates have to choose which party to put after their name. Other positions and races are non-partisan, and the candidates do not disclose their party. Obviously, it is more challenging running as a Libertarian in a partisan race, but it also does more to advance the party. Many of these boards and commissions have volunteer positions, while others may pay per meeting. A few of the elected positions are considered full time, such as the Township or County Clerks, Supervisors, or Treasurers of the larger townships.

The bottom line is that each area is very different, and every position is different. Your first job is to get out there and figure out how your local government works!

Who Are The People Involved in Your Local Government?
In addition to understanding the structure of your local government, another important part of your decision is to understand who the people are on each of these boards and commissions.

To start with, are the current board members competent? Do they vote based on ethics? Do they support freedom? Do they listen to the people? Do they vote for or against your principles?

As you attend meetings, you will realize that some people need to be replaced. Others may already vote for freedom and libertarian values.

Also, some people in these positions have been there forever, and have towns and streets named after them. They might be so popular that unseating them would be difficult. On the other hand, maybe some of these people would retire if they knew there were suitable replacements.

Getting to know the people is a very important part of your decision about which position might fit you best.

What are the Issues?
In addition to learning about the structure and personnel of your local government, you should know which issues are handled by the various boards and commissions. Some of these might interest you and suit your background. For example, an engineer might prefer to be on a water and sewer board.

Regardless of which board you choose, the issues can be complicated. It is a big advantage for you to be aware of the issues before you run for office. When you run your campaign, you will be able to intelligently discuss the issues. It will also make your job easier once you are in office.

In summary, if you think you want to run as a Libertarian in the next election, start NOW! Research your local government, attend meetings, and start talking to the people. This will help you to make a more intelligent decision about which position to run for, and it will be a huge benefit to your campaign.

The topic next month will be creating your campaign plan. I welcome ideas and questions at any time at dokrieg@gmail.com.

Series: How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected: 

Libertarians: Start Now to Choose a Winning Race

Creating Your Campaign Plan

Networking: Attend Community Events / Government Meetings  

Media campaigns including social media

Political Signs

Organizing Door to Door Campaigns

Mailings