In the past few years, I've had many new staffers ask for training on how to manipulate and visualize data for their campaigns. To help, I've put together a FREE guide that seeks to provide you with the basic techniques necessary to manipulate and view that data in Excel.

To get the most out of this, you should understand the basics of voter data and why it is important. You will also need to be familiar with Excel and have experience using formulas.

https://huxleystrategies.com/products/campaign-managers-toolbox-voter-analysis-targeting-101

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Hey everyone! I'm u/CaitlinHuxley, a political pro who reopened r/campaigns this year.

2025 campaign season is over and that means it's about time for 2026 to start up. Indeed in many states we're already past the deadline to announce officially or to submit signed petitions for ballot access.

If you're a candidate, or just planning to run, supporting a campaign as a staffer or volunteer, welcome! I hope you find this sub useful.

What to Post
Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or any questions you have about campaigns & elections.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.

2. Post something! A question, a helpful piece of advice, etc.

3. If you know someone who's involved in campaigns, invite them to join.

4. Interested in moderating? I'm definitely looking for seasoned campaign folks to help out, so feel free to reach out to me if you're up for it.

Thanks for being part of the community!

I recently responded to a candidate asking about common reasons petitions might be objected to, and I thought folks here might get some use out of the advice.

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A good rule of thumb is that your petitions WILL be objected to. Think of petitions like a bottleneck through which all campaigns must pass that is also a weak point, making it a great way to eliminate opponents without having to run a campaign against them. Whether you think this is morally right or not, doesn’t matter. It’s expedient, and so it happens a lot.

Without knowing the specifics of petition requirements in your state, I’m forced to generalize. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are some common issues I see:

1. You filled out your petitions yourself without a lawyers help - This is the easiest way to lose all your petitions at once, and it happens a lot. It looks easy to fill out based on the form you downloaded, but you may accidentally mislabel something, spell something wrong, use common terminology instead of the specific name of the race you’re running, etc. USE A LAWYER! If you do not have a lawyer, get one. They are not expensive, and well worth the cost. Examples of this are: use of outdated petition forms; failure to bind, label, or assemble petitions correctly; petition header errors; errors in filing paperwork tied to the petition; the list is looong. Seriously get a lawyer.

2. Your petition circulator was not eligible - This is the easiest way to lose a whole chunk of pages at once. There are rules on who can circulate the petitions, what dates they can be circulated, etc. They vary by state, is a great question to ask your lawyer. Common issues here are: circulator signed their affidavit incorrectly; they didn’t get the page notarized properly (including a notary whose commission is expired); they aren’t a registered voter; they aren’t a member of the party; etc. I don’t know the rules in your state, but your lawyer will.

3. Cheating. Seriously. It sounds dumb, but I see it A LOT. One of the most common methods is often called “Round Tabling” because in the past, unscrupulous circulators would sit ‘round the table, passing pages between them, and each signing as if they were a voter on their walk list. Your folks might be well meaning, or might be incentivized by you paying them. Either way, be very careful of this, as it will get your circulator (or your entire packet) removed.

4. Individual signatures might get challenged and removed because:

   • Signers not registered voters

   • Signers don’t live in the district

   • Signers not registered in the correct party

   • Duplicate signatures from the same voter (this happens a lot!)

   • Illegible signatures (an ugly signature will often be challenged just because. So if you can add the “printed name” box on your petition, it will often help prove who it is.)

   • Incorrect or incomplete addresses (I’ve seen things removed for the dumbest technicalities.

   • A lot of these happen because the signatures were collected at a grocery store or at a farmers market instead of door-to-door.

5. Cross-outs, white-out, or visible alterations. Sometimes these need to be accompanied by a separate page indicating that it is actually a removal, sometimes they don’t. In case you have a maximum number of signatures you can submit, you should know whether a cross-out actually removes them from the list or not.

6. Not ENOUGH signatures. Finally, even if you are meticulous about who signs, you will still get some of your individual signatures objected to, and lose them. A good rule of thumb is 2x as many as you need. But 3x is almost ALWAYS safe.

Honestly, a lawyer helps with a lot of these. Be smart about it. Over-collect, audit your own pages like an opponent would, and have a competent election attorney review everything before you file. It’s far cheaper to prevent a problem than to try to win it back in court.

Additionally, collecting petitions is a part of the campaign process, and gives you a perfect excuse to go door-to-door. Don’t be lazy and try to just fill the requirement! Bring a volunteer sign-up sheet with you, and some campaign literature. After petition signature gathering season is over, voters will go right back to not being interested in politics until summer, so use this opportunity to your advantage. Keep collecting until you cannot do so anymore!

They pull the list and call it a day.

But without a structured approach to voter analysis, they are just guessing.

I have seen campaigns waste half their budget chasing low-propensity voters who were never going to turn out. When we fix their targeting, clean the list, score the voters, and used some voter segmentation on their list, voter engagement and turnout jump.

Here’s how to review your voter file to do it right:

1. Propensity to Vote: Assign voters a score based on past election participation. The more consistent their turnout, the higher their likelihood to vote.

2. Party Affiliation: Look beyond registration (if your state has party registration). Past primary participation tells you whether someone is a hard or soft partisan or a true swing voter.

3. Appending Demographic Data: There is tons of free public data available for you to use to enrich your voter file. Age, ethnicity, and income levels are all fairly easy to pull at the census block level, and can really help refine your strategy.

4. Targeting Breakdown: Every voter falls into one of three categories. Swing Targets: High-propensity voters with unknown affiliation. Identify and persuade. GOTV Targets: Supporters with low turnout history. Make voting easy for them. Dissuasion Targets: Opponents with high turnout. Do not waste resources engaging.

5. Reporting: Use pivot tables!

How is your campaign handling voter targeting? What’s been your biggest challenge?

Long story short, I'm a college student looking to get someone to run for State Senate in my state. My current State Senator is a jackass on every level, and though I'm a Democrat (and I see this as a huge opportunity for a Democrat to win here), he's so bad I'm willing to help anyone, even a Republican, who is looking to campaign against him.

The problem is I can't find anyone to run. I've talked with a few people, and the only person who seemed like he would be willing to run it turns out will not actually be living in the district by literally a single block based on current redistricting maps.

I know getting in the game early is important, and so that's part of why I'm trying to do this now. It's also difficult, since I'm in college, to do much during the actual fall and spring semesters.

How does one find someone willing to run other than just hoping that someone shows up?

This is my first time working for a judge candidate. They are running for a regional position and asked me to help them with a particular area. I was described to be his "eyes & ears on the ground" of my area, but I haven't met anyone else on the campaign yet?

It's pretty early in the season right now, but it's definitely stressful that I don't have a team to rely on. He relies on me to find local contacts, unions, community orgs, etc. since he's not familiar with the area, but I haven't even received much in terms of campaign lit.

Are judicial campaigns always this small?

“Yard signs don’t vote”

The best giveaway is the one your volunteers appreciate receiving. Yard signs, buttons, pens, posters, whatever… will never win you a single voter. Because why would they? who votes for a cardboard sign?

The best use of these things is as an excuse to call all your volunteers, donors, & supporters again. “Hey we just got in our yard signs and wanted to call to see if you’d like to come get one? This Thursday night we’re doing a volunteer phonebank and it would be cool if you stopped by”

It doesn’t matter what you giveaway, as long as you use it properly.

Seriously one of the hardest things about fundraising is getting over your own hang-ups.

If you don’t regularly donate to political campaigns, it’s easy to assume that asking for money is an inconvenience, an annoyance, and a burden on your donors. If money is tight for you, it's hard to imagine that it's not for them. Because you don't have a giving budget doesn't mean others dont.

I see this all the time with candidates. If they’re not in the habit of giving, they struggle to imagine a world where people enjoy donating.

But here’s the thing: They do.

Donors feel connected to the process and feel like they’re making a difference. Some people knock doors. Some protest. Some call their elected officials. Others give money. It’s all part of how people engage with the causes they care about.

I loved this quote from a buddy of mine on Linkedin: “You’re not ‘bothering’ your donors. They feel joy when they give. If you don’t ask, you’re robbing them of that opportunity.”

We always say every volunteer has a place on a campaign, and the exact same is true for donors. If someone is willing and able to contribute, you’re doing them (and your campaign) a disservice by not giving them the opportunity to do so.

Make the ask. You’ll be surprised.

What do you find is the hardest part of fundraising?

Calling all burned out campaign staffers and political/government professionals: I would love to meet with you!

• I made the switch from politics (comms director) to sales/marketing in tech and am extremely fulfilled with this choice

• As I hit my 3 year anniversary of this move, I'm looking for people like I was - burned out, sad, feeling like you've chosen a career that is overwhelmingly stressful and unforgiving just because you care SO much

• I am looking for ways to help people in the position I was in and want to hear from you!

I'm playing with the idea of creating a career coaching offer specifically for people trying to move from politics/activism into tech. Tech is a fantastic and growing industry and skills from campaigns are so relelant to startups, particularly in sales and marketing.

If this sounds like you, please DM me or comment on this post! I would love to interview you to provide feedback on my offer and learn more about the resources that would be most helpful to you in this season.

Alternatively, my linkedin is here if you'd like to reach out there or pass this along to someone you know. Thank you in advance!

People of reddit who have been campaign managers at any level what is some advice/resources you have/recommend for a first time campaign manager?

Hi all! With the wave of newly elected representatives, I am interested in working for a new member of Congress.

I have about 8 years experience writing global policies at major tech companies (including Google). I’m a published author and former intern at the Obama White House. My expertise is in regulation, tech policy and child safety. I’m best suited for a policy role.

I have a couple questions:

1. What is the best way to stand out as someone who wasn’t working directly on the campaign?

2. Is it easier to get a position with new members of Congress from my state?

3. For those who have worked on campaigns and later hired staffers from private companies, what did you look for?

Thank you!

I’ve tentatively agreed to take a job as a field organizer for the Pennsylvania Democrats for the upcoming election. I’m looking forward to it because I’ve been looking for something kind of interesting to do after graduation. However, I’m a bit worried since the area I’ll cover is a pretty rural area outside of Pittsburgh. I was wondering if anybody had experience working on rural campaigns and in areas that might not be super jazzed about your party. Thanks!

In 2024, Democrats made 300 million phone call attempts - more than ever in history. It resulted in a 3% contact rate and Democrats lost every single swing state. Time to update the 2008 Obama GOTV model.

There is this unique kind of energy that only a challenger campaign can unleash, that is this attitude that there is nothing to lose and we will just make it happen. Interesting read about challengers raising more money than incumbents.

Hey everyone,

After digging into the data on civic engagement, we found a recurring theme: people care deeply about current events but stay on the sidelines because they are not informed enough to know where or how to help. The barrier isn’t a lack of intent; it’s the difficulty in finding a fitting campaign.

We’re launching Groundwork today to solve that. We move away from the "one-size-fits-all" volunteer model and toward a "perfect fit" matching system.

How it works:

• The Onboarding: It takes 3-5 minutes to share your values, availability, and skills.

• The Matching: We connect you with campaigns that strongly align with your values and specifically need your background. Whether that’s tech, marketing, or community organizing.

• The Result: You get direct invitations to "Right cause. Right role." opportunities without the endless search.

We’d love for this community to poke around the site and let us know what you think. 

Link: www.groundwork.today 

Weighing of the raw data is not the solution to polling, but part of the problem

Hello all! Quick background: I worked on campaigns/state gov for the last 8 years before transitioning to a role with a policy advocacy org.

I like my job okay, but Tuesday really left me missing working in politics directly. Today I saw a consulting firm I’ve always had my eye on is hiring for a role I’d be a fit for. My issue is I work with people (especially my bosses) who are very politically connected/used to be campaign staffers as well. What are the chances if I applied to this job that IF they happened to know someone at the firm/on the hiring team that person would tell them? I don’t hate my job/love the stability, and really can’t risk losing it in this job market.

Is it a thing to flag for people you know/are friends with that one of their employees applied or do people actually not do that?

I recently wrote an article for C&E about carriers filtering political texts into spam (full piece here) after sitting down with Ken Tracy from CampaignHQ on my podcast, and full disclosure... all the tactical advice here is his.

The most interesting/important bit I think is this: Any time you can turn a disadvantage into an advantage that only you are capitalizing on, you're creating a strategic edge over your opponents. If your texts avoid the spam folder while your opponent's don't, your message is being seen and theirs isn't. If your voicemail script makes for an engaging read as a transcript rather than needing to be listened to, you get a second point of contact that your competitors are losing out on.

Here's the best advice:

1. Get STIR/SHAKEN compliant

2. Time-sensitive messages do well

3. Write voicemails to be read rather than heard

4. The part of the text that gets previewed from the home screen is the most important

5. Ask a question, then actually reply

6. Read it as the voter would. Be casual. Write like a real person.

Then, super cool. Shane Greer wrote a follow-up on LinkedIn proposing a carrier-level fix that's worth your time to read as well: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shanegreer_caitlin-huxleys-piece-on-campaigns-elections-share-7483238671366836224-WcLV

If you are volunteering / doing an unpaid fellowship for a campaign what is the likelihood of getting fully employed after? I was wondering this because I feel like it is unclear what is the hiring process in the case you are working for a campaign and the person you work for hypothetically wins, and how that typically works. Would love some insight about that

I am new into the field and I got offered a position as a FO. I noticed that there is no vacation time for the first 90 days. And there’s no weekends. I am nervous since my partner works a 9-5 and we had planned some summer trips or weekend camping. I’m starting to question whether I don’t really want to start this job due to the lack of coordination and the lack of information. I was originally told 35+ hours and now they’re telling me 55+. I probably wouldn’t have interviewed if they were more transparent. I’m starting to panic because I can’t seem to land a job especially in government right now. I would love any experiences or advice for what to do