1. Ganahl: The Gantt Chart

December 6, 2023

Democracy at any level is complex. Not everyone can handle the details. If you want to try, you will have to get organized right now. A good way to do that is to begin a Gantt chart (example above) in which a series of horizontal lines shows the amount of work done in certain periods of time in relation to the time planned. Download a Gantt template or just pencil one in on an envelope, but make one. Dr. Ganahl’s one-year countdown below serves as a list of sequential tasks that can be incorporated into your more or less detailed custom Gantt.

By Dennis Ganahl, PH.D. 

One-year Countdown (12 months)

Research Phase

• Clearly describe your values, and succinctly write out your five top issues/concerns. Make a list of politicians you admire, and list the characteristics you like about them. Visualize and write your story as a politician. 
• Research upcoming political races where you are interested for the next two calendar years. List the offices, incumbents, and dates for election. 
• Pick your targeted political office. Focus on one office. 
• Create a printed calendar. Circle election day in red. Work backwards filling in key dates. You can also use an excel spreadsheet.
• Assess the viability of your candidacy. List your strengths which you will focus on improving. Know your challenges. The bigger the challenges the more work will be required.
• Collect past election data. You need to know the vote totals by precinct and poll locations for the past several election cycles for the primary and general elections. Get voter data from the Indiana Secretary of State website or your county’s election commissioner. You can also use Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page. 
• Go to the Indiana Secretary of State’s website to learn the laws governing candidates, elections and fundraising
  • Got to Indiana Disability Rights to understand the laws for early voting in Indiana
  • Contact the Indiana Secretary of State’s office to understand the rules and laws for soliciting, collecting, paying bills and reporting election donations and expenses. Note the dates when campaign finance reports must be filed with the state.
  • Contact the Secretary of State to learn the laws about how to help voters register to vote in Indiana
• Check the time, date, and location to file for an office. It’s usually three to four months before the election. Mark the date. Be the first person in line to register as a candidate. Being listed on the top of the ballot gives a candidate a vote advantage by one-to-several percentage points. 
• Contact the Election Commission to know the dates when early voting is available. Note the dates and the primary voting date and the general election date separately on your calendar.
• Get a list of ALL registered voters in the election district you are pursuing from the local election official
• Open your campaign bank account
• Research Indiana Election Division rules to set up a PAC for your campaign. Set up your ‘Friends of’ PAC fund so you can take contributions. Remember to keep scrupulous records and file timely reports. 

Two hundred-and seventy-day Countdown (Nine months)

• Take a week for reflection
  • Identify which issues are important to others. Talk to people.
  • Look at other similar PACs’ records to identify possible campaign contributors. Arrange personal meetings and discuss which issues are important to contributors and explain your issues, ask for a donation.
  • Toughen up—don’t be too sensitive. Remember 50% (plus or minus) of the people you meet will disagree with you.
• Print your business cards with a QR code that connects to your website if you have one
• Start your Facebook page as a candidate
• Open your personal account on Nextdoor or other social media that has local interaction. Make weekly postings of newsworthy articles and your opinions about them.
  • Only respond to people who support your views. Don’t get caught up in social media arguments with the opposition. Antagonizing candidates or people who support certain issues has become a profession with the advent of social media. 
• Start recruiting and building your volunteer organization one person at a time. Host a candidate party to introduce yourself. Invite all of your friends, neighbors and new political acquaintances. Serve light refreshments and drinks. You can always get a free room at the public library or city hall. Collect names, access information, sign locations, and hours willing to canvass or on poll day. 

Two hundred-and forty-day Countdown (Eight months)

• Find and hire a website designer. Volunteers work just as well.
  1. Start a website which allows you to collect addresses of people to email your group
• Find and hire a graphic artist. Volunteers work just as well.
• Find and hire a copywriter. Volunteers work just as well.
  1. Start writing copy for your brochures based on the feedback you’re receiving from people when you meet with them. Don’t forget the issues you first identified along with your values. 
  2. Print your leave-behind card based on what you can afford 
• Find and hire a social media activist. Volunteers work just as well.

One hundred-and eighty-day Countdown (Six months)

• Design and build candidate’s website
• Design a leave-behind piece for door-to-door canvassing

One hundred-and fifty-day Countdown (Five months)

• Start door-to-door canvassing. Continue until Election Day.
• Secure your neighborhood, first. Walk door-to-door, and progress in ever-widening circles of surrounding neighborhoods. Recruit and schedule others to join you. It’s more fun to do as a group. Depending on the size of your district, you need to do it daily for a couple of hours.
  • Ask people for their vote
  • Ask for email addresses
  • Ask for yard sign placements. Ideal locations include corner lots at intersections, and subdivision entrances,  
  • Ask for money donations 
  • Ask for help with door-to-door canvassing, and ask for help on poll day
• Identify leaders of nearby grassroots organizations, clubs, churches, and community leaders. Reach out to them. 
• Get your volunteers to host meet and greet coffees in neighborhoods. Ask for donations.
  • Collect lists of people’s names who think similarly to you and believe similarly. 
• Create budget for campaign
• File for your office on the first date for filing. Be the first in line. Make a splash on your social media outlets. Take photos and post them on Facebook and Nextdoor

Ninety-day Countdown (Three months)

• Develop promotional materials
  • Yard signs (use at polls also)
  • Inserts (use as mailers also) in newspaper
• Send out every-other-week campaign email updates. Ask your supporters to forward them to neighbors, friends and family.
  • Post social media announcements with photos of voters you are meeting. Be sure and get permission to use their photo.
• Plan your 6” x 11” front and back mailers. Schedule them backwards starting with the last one which should be delivered within four days of election day. Determine the number you can afford to mail. 
• Build your poll-day worker strategy. Plan your poll day schedules so every poll has a worker all day, at a minimum key polls must have workers during the morning and evening.
  • Visit each poll site to plan your sign placement strategy. Put your sign on the direct path to the election poll 25 feet before the entrance. Signs must be placed at each poll in strategic locations by the time polls open.
  • Collect names of volunteers who will work the polls on election day. Ideally, each poll should have someone all day saying hello to people, thanking them for showing up to vote. Offer to answer any questions. Poll workers should be holding your yard sign.

Sixty-day Countdown (Two months)

• Place large signs on major roads 30-days before people start early voting

Thirty-day Countdown (One month)

• Put yard signs in neighborhoods in yards at intersections and the homes of opinion leaders 30-days before election poll day
• Deliver first mail piece (for early voters)

Twenty-one-Day Countdown (Three weeks)

• Deliver second mail piece

Fourteen-Day Countdown (Two weeks)

• Deliver third mail piece
• Newspaper ad (Reaches most people)

Seven Day Countdown (One week)

• Deliver last mail piece
• Radio call-in shows or ads (Need to run multiple ads day or so before election day)

Poll Day (Election Day)

• Deliver mail piece at the polls. An effective Polling strategy can increase your vote total by 1-5%.
• Host a Watch Party for your campaign’s volunteers. Be sure and thank everyone for their support and help. Remember this is the beginning of your movement whether you win or lose. You need to build a team.

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