8 Tips for a Successful Campaigning Policy

When it comes to campaigning policies for member organization elections, the first step is to decide if you’ll allow campaigning at all.

Certainly your organization will face responsibilities should you decide to allow candidates to campaign, but the benefits can be well worth it.

When your organization is ready to move forward, we’ve got eight tips that will help you form a successful campaigning policy:

Provide equal treatment to all candidates
If your organization does something for the incumbent, you must do the same thing for all candidates. Monitor messages coming from all facets of your organization to ensure you’re not directly (or even indirectly) criticizing, promoting or endorsing candidates.

Include candidate statements
The more members know about the candidates, the more inclined they will be to participate in the election. Have candidates prepare a single statement to share relevant biographical information so voters can get to know more about them.

Honor reasonable requests
Your organization must honor reasonable requests to assist with the distribution and dissemination of candidate views and platforms (as long as your organization itself isn’t paying for distribution). If, for example, a candidate made a request to distribute campaign brochures at a meeting sponsored by your organization, that’s considered a reasonable request as long as all other candidates have the same opportunity.

Encourage debate and discussion
Discussion and the expression of ALL candidate views are encouraged. “Get to know the candidates” events are a great way to increase member engagement and election participation. The saying goes, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time,” but as a member organization it’s your job to get as close as possible. You don’t want candidates to walk away from the election with a negative opinion of the process, even if they do not win. Set the rules, make sure candidates adhere to them, remain fair and impartial, communicate openly throughout the process and you can make campaigning a positive experience for everyone involved.

DO NOT discriminate in favor or against
Provide fair coverage and equal treatment for all candidates. Equal treatment of the incumbent and all challengers is vital in election campaigning. The role of your organization is to ensure all candidates have the same opportunity to promote their messages, educate voters and that no candidate has an unfair advantage over others.

DO NOT use association funds, supplies or resources to support or criticize
Other than overall election coverage, candidate statements and equal distribution of candidate literature, no organization funds should be used to campaign for or against a candidate running for office. This includes (but is not limited to): Staff time, stationery, use of organization’s supplies, printing equipment, software, etc.

DO NOT use any organization publication to endorse, criticize or promote
Carefully check officer reports, letters from the editor, editorials, etc., for potentially slanted candidate coverage. You may also want to prohibit the use of your organization’s logos and trademarks to avoid any appearance of “endorsement” on campaigning materials coming from candidates.

Use caution when allowing electioneering and campaigning by candidates via mailing lists, email lists or listservs maintained by the organization
Your organization must control what messages are being pushed to these lists and they should be considered property of the organization. Additionally, you do not want to turn your election into a contest to see who can spam voters most frequently. Carefully define your policy in this area.

We’ve held thousands of elections, over the past 30 years, for member organizations across the country. We’ve seen firsthand that when organizations allow candidates to campaign during elections, it helps increase voter response.

A carefully considered and fully documented campaigning policy is necessary to get the ball rolling, but we’ve found that most organizations are energized by this change.

Your Organization’s Responsibilities When Allowing Candidates to Campaign

 Does your member organization allow candidates to campaign during elections?

While many organizations are aware of the benefits candidate “electioneering” can bring to the voting process, they may be intimidated by the responsibilities that come along with allowing for campaigning.

With its potential to increase participation, it is worth your organization’s time to discuss the possible challenges and responsibilities involved with campaigning. Here are some items to consider when determining if campaigning or ‘electioneering’ is right for your organization:

“Virtue can only flourish among equals”

Equal treatment of the incumbent and all challengers is vital in election campaigning. The role of your organization is to ensure all candidates have the same opportunity to promote their messages and educate voters and that no candidate has an unfair advantage over others.

“You have to learn the rules of the game”

Your organization will need to set up a formal policy to determine campaigning rules and how they will be enforced. That means your organization will need to track campaigning activity of all candidates. You will also need to ensure the “golden rule” is in place – candidates treat each other with respect and courtesy, and will be treated well by your organization.

First determine if your organization has resources to put such a campaigning policy in place, then make sure you have the ability to confirm everyone plays by the rules.

“Negative experiences are replaced by positive ones”

The saying goes, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time,” but as a member organization, it’s your job to get as close as possible. You don’t want candidates to walk away from the election with a negative opinion of the process, even if they do not win. Set the rules, make sure candidates adhere to them, remain fair and impartial, communicate openly throughout the process and you can make campaigning a positive experience for everyone involved.

We’ve held thousands of elections for member organizations across the country over the past 30 years. More and more, we see that when organizations allow candidates to campaign during elections, it encourages voter response.

Of course, your organization must weigh the responsibilities and challenges of changing your election’s process, but the benefits may make it worth your while.

Potential Challenges From Candidate Campaigning

While allowing candidates to campaign during elections can help with voter turnout, it can also pose challenges.

Competitive Nature

Competitive elections are considered a sign of a healthy democracy — but if candidates become too fierce and combative, it can be detrimental to the organization. It’s ideal to maintain neutrality and ensure candidates remain civil and cordial throughout the campaign period and after the elections. By entrusting a third-party election vendor like us to manage the election process securely and professionally, organizations can assure candidates and members that the election is conducted without bias, fostering trust and civility throughout the campaign and beyond.

Division Among Members

In any contested election, there are at least two opposing parties, each with its legions of supporters. Sometimes, negative campaigning can’t be avoided, especially when the elections committee cannot monitor campaign sorties. This can sow division among organization members, affecting the rest of the community and the group’s objectives.

Interfering With Organization Operations

Campaigning can affect operations within the organization, especially if you intend to accommodate sorties within your premises. Election campaigning requires space and other resources, which could disrupt the organization’s daily operations.

Time and Resource Constraints

Not all organizations have the time and resources to accommodate election campaigns. They can be costly to organize, especially for smaller organizations. 

How to Manage Election Campaigning

If you think election campaigning is necessary for the success of your elections, addressing potential challenges is essential. Here are some ways you can keep your campaign season pleasant:

• Level the playing field. Maintain neutrality toward all candidates. Ensure you treat election veterans and less popular candidates fairly and squarely. Give all candidates equal access to resources and information to prevent accusations of favoritism, which could create further division among members.
• Set clear campaign guidelines. Establish clear rules for all candidates, such as limiting their campaign budgets and regulating campaign methods.
• Organize forums and debates. Give all candidates a platform to make themselves known to voters and discuss their policies. Organize debates and forums where they can interact with eligible voters and organization members.
• Utilize technology. Leverage technology to conduct a credible election. Work with third-party service providers to ensure your elections’ integrity from the campaign period on.

Streamline Your Election Processes With SBS

Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) is the leading service provider of end-to-end election management solutions.

With an extensive range of software tools and decades of experience, we can help you integrate campaigning into your member organization elections. Contact our support specialists to learn more about the best practices for candidate campaigning.