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72-HOUR PLAN

Voter contact projects for the final push.

The Indiana Republican Party

47 South Meridian Street 2 nd Floor

Indianapolis, IN 46204

www. indgop. org 1

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72-Hour Plan

Voter contact projects for the final push in 2004.

Overview

There is no single key to victory on Election Day. Winning campaigns are a blend of good message and media, positive voter contact, momentum, and even some good fortune.

However, in a close race, the voter contact component is critical— the details of which comprise an aggressive, well-executed 72-Hour Plan.

As we learned in Florida in 2000, every single vote counts and none can be taken for granted. The Democrat Party has excelled at utilizing local level, paid volunteers from organized labor in the final 72 hours.

We can expect the same thing this year.

In 2004, it is imperative that the Republican Party amass the volunteer resources necessary to combat these efforts.

A good 72-Hour plan is a combination of projects that are executed throughout the year. It is also a coordinated effort, one where the State Party, the County Party, the gubernatorial campaign, the precinct committeemen and vice committeemen, and all other campaigns work closely together, forming a 72-Hour Team.

Volunteer resources can be scarce, so it is even more vital that we build 72-Hour Teams that will work together. The 72-Hour mission is clear: contacting, motivating, and turning out every Republican and favorable Independent voter.

Key Activities for September and October

The final two months of the campaign are marked by non-stop activity. This year will be no different, and in fact, should be even busier. It will be our final push for victory, and we must develop and execute projects to maximize our turnout.

The following are key activities we will build into our 72-Hour Plans:

Voter Registration

The final two months not only mark the busiest period, they are also the time when voters begin to pay close attention to the election. Our 72-Hour Plans

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will include an objective in September (and earlier) that focuses on registering new Republicans and any base voters who have moved in the last year.

Voter Identification (Voter ID) The final two months will be a continuation of our year-long voter ID projects. It is very important to include the favorable Independents from the voter ID into any direct contact efforts; hence, we will build the results of the ID into our other 72-Hour projects.

Absentee Voters: Direct Contact and Advocacy Individuals who request to vote absentee are a captive audience, especially those voting by mail. First, we want to ensure that our Republicans and favorable Independent voters take advantage of absentee voting.

Additionally, we can campaign to persuade the many Independent absentee voters who are undecided.

Early In-Person Voting Push

Once voter registration has closed, absentee voting in-person begins— that's 28 days before Election Day.

Contrary to other ways of voting by absentee (by mail or by traveling board), an individual does not need a reason to vote absentee in-person. Our 72-Hour Plans will include an early voting project to encourage Republicans and favorable Independents to cast their ballots early.

Mailing, Calling, and Canvassing Republicans

The final two months should certainly include mailing and calling Republican households. The first priority will be an absentee ballot application mailing combined with follow-up telephone calls to all R voters.

Other communication with your GOP voters might include sending key literature, encouraging early voting, and priming them for the important role they play on Election Day.

Canvassing efforts in the final month should have a component focused on contacting Republican households. Based on the volunteer resources that are available, our campaigns will want to attempt to focus some of the final weeks on person-to-person contact with the GOP base.

Canvassing and Mailing Independents

Direct contact between the candidate and undecided, Independent voters is critical in the final weeks; so our 72-Hour Plans will include precinct walks targeting Independents. These will focus on those precincts that are considered "swing" precincts and contain a high number of Independent households— we will develop these criteria using any number of specific

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results from past elections, with specific focus on the 2000 Bush winning percentage and the 2002 Clerk of the Courts results.

Because candidates can only be in one place at any given time, canvassing by volunteers in swing precincts is an appropriate alternative. It is another form of direct contact with the Republican Party and a key part of the 72-Hour Plan.

Canvassing should be supplemented by direct mail to Independents. It would be very difficult to reach every Independent, so County Parties and campaigns should budget for mailers in the final two months.

Advocacy Calls to Independent Voters As we have mentioned many times, identifying and turning out favorable Independent voters are key tasks in the final two months.

A good way to reach these voters one final time is a telephone contact from a volunteer. They should be targeted to precincts identified as moderately favorable based on past election results— such as a 55% or higher winning percentage for Brian Bishop in the 2002 Clerk of the Courts race.

Voter ID information will be added to Voter Vault throughout the year, so we know the individuals who need to be contacted. Our 72-Hour Plans will put it to good use through these advocacy calls— they should receive one more
advocacy message before the campaign makes a voter turnout call.

Projects for the Weekend Before Election Day

The weekend before Election Day should be focused on motivating the campaign's base GOP voters to gear up for a big turnout.

There are at least two key projects: Get Out the Vote (GOTV) calls to all Republican voters and GOTV mailings into key Republican precincts.

Because of new constraints placed on political parties by BCRA, County Parties and campaigns should consult with the State Party on compliance issues when paying for these efforts below.

GOTV Calls to Republican Voters One final contact will be made with all GOP voters. The message can take many forms, but providing them with information on where they go to vote and where to call for a ride to the polls are both important options that should be included. A brief message on the importance of voting Republican should also be included.

GOTV Mailing into Key Republican Precincts

Our 72-Hour Plans should also include a final contact with GOP voters on the last weekend through mailing a "push" card or slate card, including GOTV

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information, is vitally important for that last weekend. This should certainly be part of the budget.

Election Day

Our 72-Hour Plans will include a strong Election Day turnout effort. It will be comprised of utilizing wagon books and a centralized phone bank in counties across the state to make sure every GOP voter is reminded to go to the polls.

Where we have the resources to go the "extra mile," we will also include door-to-door" flushing" in targeted precincts.

Wagon Books

Tracking the progress of Republican voters getting to the polls on Election Day is critical. It also takes the longest to prepare for, requires the most volunteers, and calls for aggressive recruiting and training.

Election Day turnout is most effectively done by using "wagon books" in every polling place. It is a four-column report that lists Republican voters and favorable Independents from the voter ID project and their phone numbers.

The wagon book is a simple tool for monitoring who has already voted. Then, at 10: 00, 2: 00, and 4: 00, calls should be made to those who have yet to make it to the polls.

The "Extra Mile" In targeted precincts where volunteer resources will permit a more aggressive, manpower intensive approach, it may be more effective to utilize door-to-door "flushing" of GOP voters in conjunction with the "wagon books."

Instead of calling the name on the "wagon book," a team of volunteer flushers is utilized by going door-to-door, urging people to vote, and even offering a ride if necessary.

Roster: Key Roles of Volunteers and/ or Paid Staff

Successful 72-Hour Plans will be composed of a team dedicated to executing all the key projects. The roster includes (but may not be limited to) the following major roles:

County Party Organization and Volunteers

State Party Staff

Precinct Committeemen and Vice Committeemen

Phone Bank Coordinator

GOTV Coordinator

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County Party Organization

The County Party organization can contribute much to a successful 72-Hour Plan. Resources are key, so acquiring or opening facilities, finding volunteers, providing organizational assistance with precinct committeemen, offering training, and giving financial help are all meaningful assistance.

State Party Staff

The State Part Political Staff is ready to provide project leadership, project management, and direct staff assistance for 72-Hour planning and execution.

Precinct Committeemen

The precinct committeemen, and their vice committeemen, are key players in the final 72-Hour push. In addition to assembling a complete precinct board on Election Day, they can provide direct assistance to the 72-Hour Plan by identifying a poll book holder to assist with the "wagon book."

A poll book holder must be credentialed by the County Chair, so work with him or her to identify prospects as well.

Phone Bank Coordinator

The job of the phone bank coordinator breaks down as follows:

- Find a location where you can use multiple lines for a Phone Bank in the final two weeks.

- If your county party has a headquarters, phone lines can be brought in there and utilized through Election Day.

- To determine the number of lines, determine the number you will need for Election Day. That will give you coverage in the final two weeks. Utilize the following formula for:

- 7 hours of operation (10: 00AM to 5: 00PM) multiplied by 45 calls per hour, totaling 315 calls per phone line.

- Total number of voters to contact multiplied by 75% equals X.

- X divided by 315 equals the approximate number of lines. Find a location for Phone Bank on Election Day.

- If you utilize a business, first make sure they understand the requirement that those phones won't be available for business on Election Day.

- Recruit Phone Bank callers.

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-Good sources for volunteer callers are GOP auxiliary organizations such as Indiana Federation of Republican Women, College Republicans, and Young Republicans. Campaign volunteers and volunteers who are "looking for a way to help" are a good source.

One of the best ways for teenagers to contribute to a campaign is to utilize them in phone banks.

- Schedule Phone Bank callers for final two weeks.

- This will be based on the number of phone lines available (based on the number of calls that must be made).

- Produce phone lists/ scripts for calling GOP voters.

- Produce phone lists/ scripts for calling Independent voters.

- Produce phone lists/ scripts for making absentee ballot application follow-up calls.

- Produce "wagon books" for Election Day.

- Schedule Phone Bank callers for Election Day.

-Utilize a formula of 1.25 volunteers per phone line. Any remaining volunteers will be utilized as drivers.

- Arrange for refreshments for the callers.
GOTV Coordinator The GOTV Coordinator's job also has multiple components, aimed at mobilizing efforts in the final two weeks and keeping the trains running up to, and on, Election Day. The initial focus should be first on the precinct
canvassing, then evolve into planning for Election Day. The position breaks down as follows:

- Target the precincts for canvassing.

- Design and produce door hangers or "push" cards for canvassing.

- Recruit volunteers for canvassing.

- Produce walking lists for canvassing.

- Target precincts for direct mail.

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- Design and produce mailing for Republican households (may be multiple mailers, so repeat step as necessary).

- Design and produce mailing for Independent households (may be multiple mailers, so repeat step as necessary).

- Produce mailing lists for Republican households.

- Produce mailing lists for Independent households.

Recruit Election Day volunteers.

- Election Day volunteers include phone bank callers, poll or "wagon book" holders, and drivers (both for taking voters who need assistance to the polls and for picking up the "wagon book" strips).

- It is imperative that the volunteers for Election Day be provided training, so schedule a Saturday morning session for mid-October.
- Produce maps for Election Day drivers with each polling location identified.

Operating a Phone Bank

Operating the phone bank is dependent on volunteers, so be aggressive in pulling together the numbers needed to staff the phone banks for the final two weeks and Election Day.

Before the callers start, provide a brief training session. The State Party uses the following as a guide:

Rehearse the script. The volunteer should familiarize himself/ herself with the note taking requirements.

Rehearse the types of responses that may be encountered

(such as, "How dare you bother me at home," or "It's none of your business.").

Always thank voters for their time when ending the call and be sure to note the results on the script sheet.

Maintaining the accuracy of the voter file requires a substantial amount of work, and it is ongoing. People move every day and phone numbers are changed regularly; these are among the many ways data evolves. So callers should be primed to expect the following

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o Disconnected numbers.

o Voicemail/ answering machines.

o Wrong numbers.

o Deceased individuals.

o Individuals that have moved.

If there is no answer after 5 rings, proceed to the next sheet and check not home on script.

Be friendly and courteous on the phone.

Don't be drawn into long conversations.

Never argue.

Follow the script, repeating often the name of the person with whom you are speaking.
Adding the caller's name at the beginning of the call will make it more personal for the individual on the other end; if you feel comfortable doing this— go for it!

Staffing a phone bank is not an easy job, so volunteers should always be thanked regularly for their service. Refreshments are a key incentive for any volunteer-based effort, so the plan will need to include a line-item in the budget for food and drinks.

Scripts

Sample for Absentee Ballot Call

Hi, this is (first name), and I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of (candidate),

the Republican candidate for __________. (Candidate) needs your vote to get Indiana back on the right track.

We sent you a request form which allows you to vote by mail from the comfort of your home instead of going out to the polls. Indiana law allows you to submit this form to vote by absentee ballot if you expect to be unable to vote on Election Day, so take advantage of this convenient voting option.

Indiana needs new leadership and we urge you to return this form right away.

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If you didn't receive one or misplaced it, please call our offices at ___-____ and we'll re-send your absentee ballot application right away.

When you receive it, please cast your vote for (Candidate) and the Republican Ticket. Thanks.

Sample for GOTV Call

Hello, may I please speak with ?

My name is (caller) and I'm calling from the (County) Republican Party.

I'm calling to remind you that Tuesday is Election Day and (Candidate) needs your support.

Every vote is crucial on Election Day, especially yours. Your polling location is . Do you think you may need a ride?

[If yes] Arrange for a ride.

[If no] (Continue with…) If you have any questions, you can call .

Thanks, and remember to Vote for the Republican ticket!

Sample for Election Day Call

Hello, may I please speak with (voter)? My name is (caller) and I'm calling from (County) Republican Party. We just wanted to remind you that today is Election Day.

Have you voted yet?

[If yes] Great! Thank you for your time.

[If no] There's still time to vote before the polls close. (Candidate) really needs your support and every vote makes a difference.

Do you need a ride or directions to your polling place?

[If yes] Provide directions and/ or arrange for a ride.

Thanks for your time and Remember to Vote for Republican Ticket!

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