punditry.ca — uncovering DSU elections

I’m not in Halifax, so I can’t offer blow-by-blow debate recaps or scary photos of Mark Coffin, but I have participated in a few heavily-contested DSU elections, so perhaps I can give some idea of what goes into a good campaign, and what to look for if you’re trying to predict this year’s outcomes.

Also, if you ever plan to run for a DSU office, particularly an executive position, you might find this useful.

Many, perhaps most, DSU campaigns are won or lost long before the actual campaigning ever begins. How well you’re known on campus (or on facebook), what links you have to well-represented student groups, and your knowledge of the portfolio of the position you’re running for and ability to craft a compelling message around it are all determined months or years before anyone casts a ballot. Shannon Zimmerman, for instance, has been interested in running for President for three years now. I’m sure that will show in the professionalism of her campaign.

Almost as important, however, is what you do in the few weeks right before the election. This is when you put your campaign team together, design your website and your materials, and plan your tactics and strategy.

During this period, you (or one of your campaign aides with OCD) should also be building the heart of your campaign, your excel spreadsheet.

Time is your most important resource during campaign week. You want to maximize every second. No matter how well-known your opponent is on campus, they can’t possibly be personal friends with more people than you can talk to in a week, and if you plan your time better than they do, you can gain a lot of ground.

I maintain that class talks are the best possible use of your time. The vast majority of students that vote aren’t going to be well-versed in the issues or candidates, and actually seeing someone, in person, (not this newfangled YouTubery) give a one minute (never a five minute) speech can easily be a deciding factor when they make their choice for your position.

For both of my executive campaigns, I scoured the Dal timetable and built a list of one class for almost every half-hour block, all week. I went for both the largest classes and a good mix of disciplines and years so that I wasn’t talking to the same people more than I had to. I then emailed all the profs for permission, and if I heard back that a certain class wasn’t open for a talk, I had enough time to replace it on my list with one that was. (Also be sure to take into account the time it takes to get from one end of Dal to the other.) I also added in all the debates and society events that I planned to attend (and my own courses).

By the time elections come, you’ve got a full schedule and you never have to waste time trying to convince a prof to let you speak or annoy your fellow candidates by tagging along to their talks.

It will also guarantee that you’re spending time with students all over campus (did you guys know there are night classes in the basement of Fenwick) and not just hanging out in the SUB.

You’ll also have an incredibly valuable commodity. One that candidates in other races will be very interested in getting their hands on, and willing to provide all kinds of introductions, low-key endorsements and other logistical and political help in exchange.

For the candidates who are running right now and don’t have a good schedule, two bits of advice: 1. take some time every night and plan out your next day in as much detail as you can and 2. find out who does have a solid list, and make a new friend.