How to get your issue on the agenda during the BC election (with examples)

BC is having a provincial election on October 19, 2024!

New/Mode campaigners can connect supporters with local candidates with one click. See the timeline below.

We hope many campaigners use this service because it has proven powerful in past elections.

Here are 3 reasons (with examples) you should be contacting election candidates: 

*TLDR: Because it works! 

🗳️1. Engage Supporters with Smart Vote Pledges: Asking voters to pledge who they will cast their ballot for is a powerful, low-barrier action that motivates supporters to take the first step on their engagement journey.

Traditional symbolic vote pledges often have low participation rates and should generally be avoided.

This is where New/Mode candidate contact data shines and why we can provide a "Smart" Vote Pledge tactic. If you use New/Mode each pledge can send a message directly to your supporter's local candidates, or at set intervals.

For example, every supporter who pledges could send the following to all their local candidates:  

“I pledge to vote for climate action! If I vote for you, how will you act on this critical issue?” 

Engage supporters and present your policy priorities to potential government candidates.

*Here's an example from CUPE BC

📰 2. Getting on the policy agenda: We’ve seen in the past that candidates (including incumbent politicians) are more open to hearing the concerns of their constituents during electoral campaigns. Why? Because candidates need your vote. This is when politicians are most vulnerable to democratic input.

Maximize the influence of your community by having your supporters email local candidates, and get their letters published in local newspapers.

*Spotlight: In the last Ontario election, The National Association of Federal Retirees ran a multi-channel campaign calling on next Ontario government to commit to an independent senior’s advocate and a comprehensive seniors’ strategy. They used New/Mode to have supporters email candidates and publish letters in local papers.

Here's what their advocacy forms looked like.

*Check more examples of how Campaigners in Ontario used these tactics in their 2022 provincial election. 

🎯 3. Helping values-aligned candidates connect with supportive voters: One non-partisan but impactful way we can make change is by supporting politicians who align with your values and policy agenda. It’s a lot easier to make policy changes when the politicians in power are aligned with our values.

When your supporters reach out to local candidates to urge them to take on your position on an issue, that helps values-aligned candidates learn about voters that support them. They can then let those voters know they are aligned on policy and the voter may even volunteer with their campaign.

Candidate Data Timeline

You’re probably wondering when this tactic can be deployed!

New/Mode adds the publicly available candidate data as it is made available from political parties and other sources. We update our sources every 48 hours.

Political parties release data at their discretion, but we can estimate based on previous elections to aid your campaign planning.

*Estimated candidate dataset availability: 

 When we release this data set, we are committed to maintaining 100% coverage of major political parties as more candidates are nominated.

🚁 Nominated Candidates Estimate -- August 16th: 50%  Where candidate data isn’t yet available messages will go to leaders of their political parties. [Impactful]

✈️ Nominated Candidates Estimate -- September 6th: 75% . Fully effective with major political parties. Mass campaigning should be full swing. [Fully Impactful]

🚀Nominated Candidates Estimate -- September 23rd: 90+% of Candidates. A great time to amp your campaign and add in new tactics like Letters to The Editor.  [Maximum Impact]

💡Pro tip: Since this data is by its nature changing and improving over time, it’s best to not display candidate info on your action forms. 

Getting your supporters engaged in the election is a great opportunity to make a change. It’s also part of a larger important effort to reinvigorate and fortify democratic processes that are increasingly under threat in countries around the world. 

*If don't already have access to New/Mode you can use it for free here. 

*Or get a free demo by booking a quick zoom call with a campaign advisor today.