Get Out the Vote and Early Voting Campaigns

Depending upon the state the voter is in early voting practices will differ or won't exist at all. When there is early voting, it will either be possible for the voter to vote by mail or to vote early but in person or both.

Political campaigns should create a robust effort to encourage their supporters to vote early where it is possible. This is very helpful to campaigns particularly when it comes to get out the vote.

Imagine that there is a campaign for mayor of a 50,000 person city. Since it is a local election, not many people will actually vote. Let's say that it's like that 10,000 voters will actually cast their ballot for mayor. If hypothetical candidate, Smith, has identified 5,200 voters who are supporting him and convinces 400 voters to vote early, the campaign only has to worry about getting 4,800 voters to the polls.

This is a significant financial and time savings. If the campaign's get out the vote plan required them to contact all known supporters twice the weekend before the election and once on Election Day itself that's a savings of 1,200 phone calls and potentially more than fifty hours of volunteer time depending upon how fast the campaign's average volunteer makes phone calls. If the campaign was relying on paid phone callers to supplement the amount of volunteer's the campaign had available, there is also a substantial cost savings to the campaign to get their supporters voting early.

Besides leveraging the campaign's time and money during the get out the vote phase of a campaign, encouraging supporters and likely supporters to vote early will also allow people who might not otherwise vote to do so. In campaign speak, early voting campaigns will increase voter turnout.

Going back to the fictitious campaign for mayor, Smith's numbers look great going in to Election Day. His campaign has identified 52% of likely voters as supporters and has done a great job getting his supporters to vote early. His opponent, Jane Doe, however, has also used early voting to her advantage focusing on voters who are likely to support her but might not actually go to the polls. She has targeted very old supporters and young working families that are strapped for time. Doe has gotten 300 voters to vote by mail who wouldn't be willing or able to stand in on Election Day to vote. In this scenario, she wins but either or both ways of using early voting are effective.

Either using early voting to reduce the demands on the campaign during get out the vote or using it as another tool in addition to get out the vote to increase turnout are effective ways of using early voting in conjunction with GOTV programs.

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Clinton campaigns in crucial Ohio - Los Angeles Times

Former president Bill Clinton speaks at a campaign rally for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, back, and other Democratic candidates in Canton, Ohio. (Associated Press / October 30, 2010)

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned in Ohio on Saturday, part of a last-minute push by Democrats to capture a state that has been traditionally important to the presidential aspirations of both parties.

As he has throughout this midterm campaign season, Clinton slammed Republicans and compared their economic policies during the recession to his administration's positive efforts.

"Their deal sounds good but it doesn't work," Clinton said.

With just days to go before Tuesday's election, this weekend is whirlwind of stops, rallies and meet-and-greets as Democrats try to energize their base and Republicans continue their push to win the House and Senate.

But even within campaigning across the country, Ohio has a special place.

In 2008, Ohio was one of nine state President Obama captured and Ohio remains a crucial state to Obama’s re-election chances. On Sunday, the president will make his 12th visit since taking office to the state and his second visit in as many weeks.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will campaign on Sunday in Cleveland.

Democrats are pushing for Gov. Ted Strickland, locked in a close race with former congressman John Kasich. Most polls show Kasich ahead, but Strickland remains close and within the margin of error in some polls.

The governor's race is also especially important in Ohio because of redistricting. The next governor will have a large say in drawing the new congressional and state legislative district lines which could influence Ohio elections for a decade.

Clinton's campaign stops took him to Canton, where Rep. John Boccieri interrupted the former president's speech by running off of the stage when the congressman learned his wife had gone into labor.

"The baby is now being born!" Clinton told the cheering crowd. "You'd be amazed how many times I take a picture with a very pregnant woman and then she immediately gives birth."

"We got another Democrat," Clinton said. "I wish we could register that baby before it's too late."

michael.muskal@latimes.com
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal

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