Whether it’s to elect a new leader, pass a policy initiative, or bolster voter turnout, thousands of political campaigns are organized nationwide each two years (known as a campaign cycle). These range in size from small, local operations with just a few paid staffers to large, federal ones that involve hundreds of volunteers and professional consultants.
In order to win an election, a candidate must convince voters that he or she has the best ideas and policies to promote. This is accomplished by crafting a message that includes several talking points about key policy issues. Then, the campaign team communicates this message to voters through a variety of methods such as social media, phone calls, texts, emails, and in-person events.
Once a campaign has a clear sense of what its message will be, it must determine how many votes it needs to win by calculating a vote goal. This figure informs all aspects of the campaign, from the number of doors to knock on to how many mailers to send out.
While working on a political campaign can be difficult, it is often very rewarding professionally and personally. A political campaign provides prospective staff members with a fast-track to gaining professional experience, and it is not uncommon for individuals to move from volunteer to paid positions within a short period of time. Those interested in finding a position on a political campaign should utilize their network and reach out to college or law school alumni who work on campaigns, as well as undergraduate student groups like the Republican or Democratic Clubs or American Constitution Society.
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