31: Training & Ground Game

Train and empower volunteers who share our core principles to engage in a bottom-up approach to voter registration.

Other Information:

In our discussions with our friends, allies, and state parties, it's clear that voter registration efforts are struggling. The answer is not to punt. While county and state parties must lead on party-building activities such as voter registration, we urge a bottom-up approach to voter registration, and our friends and allies need to be willing to invest smartly. Cluster voting is a good tool for 501(c)(4) groups where we have a high percentage of conservative voters in a certain area. There can be testing of various approaches, but oftentimes the best answers are the old ways of setting up voter registration tables at targeted grocery stores in red neighborhoods. Again, make your precinct captains your most important people and empower them to get real people to register people one person at a time. It's not sexy, but it works. It also works to target voter registration to issue areas such as Second Amendment rights, restrictions on prayer, etc. This is an area where key friends and allies can play a significant role in voter registration and complement the Party's efforts. More and better training is a consistent theme in this report. It is critical that we train and empower volunteers who share our core principles. This is needed at the local level, and our friends and allies should aggressively develop training opportunities throughout the country; state parties should do the same. Certainly, the RNC and interested friends and allies should have this on their list of nuts-and-bolts organizing that needs tending and planning.

Stakeholder(s):

• Volunteers: It sounds simple, but if campaigns, state parties, and our friends and allies don't know how to reach potential voters and volunteers, we have a problem. Well, we have a problem. Too often, our lists do not have cell phone numbers, email addresses or social media handles. We cannot function if we cannot reach people. Friends and allies should invest in getting cell phone numbers added to the voter file. There is the old-fashioned approach of doing it by asking our precinct captains to help get cell phone numbers for voters in their neighborhoods. Most schools, churches, civic organizations, etc., have lists of names with email and cell phone numbers. Give local volunteers a job to do and they will do it. This is not glamorous work, but it's necessary. Again, state parties must lead in this area, but our friends and allied groups can augment their efforts. Party organizations and campaigns can buy these lists inexpensively and engage in list exchange agreements with groups that may have uses for voter file information.


• RNC Media Consultants: Training is not just for volunteers. It is a challenge to identify experienced campaign staff. The NRSC told us it plans to beef up its campaign schools. The RNC and NRCC should coordinate with the NRSC in this effort. In addition, the RNC needs to lead an effort to train our media consultants on how to use social media. We suggest that the RNC use social media industry leaders to conduct this training as opposed to other political consultants. Certainly, our friends and allies could play a significant role in assisting with this training effort.


• RGA: In our discussions with the RGA, we learned that it has been able to conduct party-building efforts in key states like Pennsylvania during a governor's race that happens to coincide with a U.S. Senate race. We would urge the RNC, NRSC, RGA, and RSLC to discuss how to expand this effort in a legal manner. This is an important opportunity to maximize our dollars.

Objective(s):

31.1: Voter Registration & Grassroots Efforts

31.2: Training

31.3: Cell Phones & Email Addresses

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