2017 is considered by many as a rest year for campaigning but there is still plenty of activity happening, you just have to know where to look! People seeking election have usually thought long and hard about it, considering all the implications of a run. One of the main factors you must look into is the data. What will it take for you to get elected? How much money do you need to get elected? Can you avail of any grants?

The Size Of Your Constituency:

In preparation for your election run, you will first want to know the size of your constituency or district. The average size of a district in the US could be anything up from 400,000 people. Are you prepared to represent that many people?

Number Of People On Electoral/Voter Register:

The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. These are essentially the people you need to connect with. Many people are now using campaign tech to segment these lists into manageable chunks so you knock on as many doors as possible.

Numbers You Need To Win Election:

Let's say you have 20,000 people in your district. Of those people, only 16,000 are eligible voters. On the last election, 4,800 of eligible voters actually voted. The election is only a two-person race. In this case, you will need a minimum of 2,401 votes to squeak through a victory. (50% of turnout plus one vote).

It’s best to overestimate the number of votes you need. In this case, we’ll round up and calculate with 52% of the turnout, which gives us a rough target of 2,496 votes that will be needed to win. This number, of course, will be subject to the overall voter turnout and how many supporters you can get into the voting booth.

If it a multiple-seat election, you will be required to reach a quota and this will vary depending on the number of seats available.

Top Tips When Planning Your Budget

• Find the finance reports for anyone who’s ever run for state representative in and around your district before. This will give you a general idea of the level of spending
• Establish a budget baseline to start from.
• First, you must find a ceiling for the total budget with which to limit yourself. Then, break that number down into each category and assign a hard limit for each of those as well.
• Most local campaigns don’t need to be paid staff.
• Utilize available resources for free staff – offer internships to students, for example. There are always people out there who want to ‘get into politics’ and are looking for hands-on, real world experience. You can give it to them.
• Make a detailed list of supplies your campaign will need.
• Research the cost of each item on the list
• Find ways to reduce or completely wipe out the expense of each item.
• Figure out how much money you will be able to fundraise.

In any campaign, there will be an unforeseen expenditure but by looking at everything we went over above, you should be able to give yourself a good head start this campaign season!