David Frum has an intersting column in the National Post today regarding a study of how door-knocking was the most effective way of getting out the vote (www.yale.edu/vote) and how the Republicans used this to their advantage in the 2004 election. At the end of the article Mr. Frum puts it into a Canadian context.
...Ask yourself this: Why did the Liberals misappropriate all that sponsorship money? Some of it was stolen plain and simple, but much more was used to pay campaing workers in Quebec. The Bloc does not have to pay its campaign workers. Neither do the Conservatives or the NDP. those three parties can recruit volunteers. The Liberals seem to be having greater and greater trouble doing so - and not only in Quebec.
...Can Canadian Conservatives in their turn learn from the Bush campaign?
If so, they would absorb four lessons:
- Make the recruitment of volunteers your top organizational priority
- Empower volunteers to emphasize that part of the party message that resonates with their peers
- Put special emphasis on recruiting younger cancassers to influence younger and first-time voters
- Back up the the peer-to-peer canvassing
campaign with advertising based on issues rather than personality (remembering of course that Liberal corruption is one of the most important issues)
I have never volunteered during an election campaign. In fact I was never a member of a political party until last year. The next election will be different. I will certainly volunteer. I encourage you to do so as well.
Update: Kariba of Right In Canada has some more details of volunteerism and David Frum on her blog.
