Register to participate online: DemocracyExpo.org.
Progressives have turned around the ballot measure landscape and pushed a series of proactive ballot measures that have been successful where legislative strategies could never succeed. In red, purple, or blue states, voter/popular support is often higher than elected political support for many policies. And ballot measures are an incredible way to pass policy and build power where the alternatives are challenging. The increase in high-profile measures has attracted the attention of many political service providers who see business opportunities and are looking for opportunities to offer their services to different campaigns. If you’ve ever wondered how to work on qualifying a ballot measure and best practices for running successful ballot measure campaigns – this program is for you! Please join us to learn and share experiences.
Please check out some of the amazing companies featured in the Expo section of the app as well – they include: Amplify Power, Moxie Media, 501c Design, Solidarity Strategies, Hub Dialer, CallHub, Relentless Vote, Evinco Strategies, Amethyst Operations, Good Stock, Votivate, DemTec, Gario Media, Speak4,, Erehwon Atlas, AlphaGraphics , Know Your Politician, CampaignHelp, Civic Shout, FAOU Strategies, G3 Management Firm, Nesbitt & Parrinello, Social Currant, Grow Progress, Democratic Voice Over, Netroots Nation, Simple Majority.
AGENDA AND SPEAKERS/ORGANIZATIONS
March 11th , 2024
11:30 AM ET– 12:00 PM
Opening and Intro
Speakers:
- Amy Pritchard, GAIN Power
- Marsha Donat, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC)
- Jessica Grennan, Simple Majority
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET– Go No Go Research: Many ballot measures fail before they qualify because insufficient research is done to ensure their success. Many should never move forward because of the lack of a path to victory. Go no go is a phrase used around the decision to launch. Campaigns should have a plan for what the criteria is for moving forward.
Speakers:
- Marsha Donat, BISC
- Jessica Grennan, Simple Majority
- Amy Levin, Breakthrough Campaigns
- Jamie Lee, Lake Research Partners
- Emma Olson Sharkey, Elias Law Group
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET– Signature Collection: Few campaigns qualify for ballot measures with volunteers. Most will hire a professional signature firm to collect signatures. Even those with large volunteer signature operations will need professionals to process and log the signatures.
Speakers:
- Lewis Granofsky, FieldWorks
- Mac D’Allisandro, Campaign Industries
- Sasha Rosen, The Outreach Team
- Kaelyn Seymour, Missouri Organizing and Voter Engagement Collaborative
- Sarah Parker, Women’s Voices of SW Florida
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET– It’s a go. Ready. Set. Launch.: Launching signature gathering successfully requires strong communications, operations, and fundraising plans. To reach folks to get signatures and start building support, you’ll need to have a web and social media presence and the tech tools to start collecting contributions and volunteers. While coalition partners and staff can manage some of this – many firms with a ton of experience provide these services.
Speakers:
- Jake Levy-Pollans, Trilogy Interactive
- Gaby Cardenas, The Colibri Collective
- Sarah Flowers, 76 Words
- Taryn Rosenkranz, New Blue Interactive
- Emily Gittleman, Uplift Campaigns
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM ET– Equitable RFP processes & Building a representative team. What should an RFP process look like for your ballot measure campaign? How can you ensure it is fair and equitable? We’ll cover designing RFPs to gather complete information from firms about their ownership, partners, experience communicating with diverse voters, working with coalitions, internal practices, and commitment to DEI. We’ll also discuss the timing of RFPs and make sure you receive diverse proposals.
Speakers:
- Eliana Ramirez-Vaughn, BISC
- Jessica Grennan, Simple Majority
- Sasha Ahuja, New Yorkers for Equal Rights
This program has been developed in collaboration with our partners at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and Jess Grennan of Simple Majority, with special thanks to our program manager, Allison Torres, and platform manager, Christine Cartagena, at GAIN Power.
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