We deliver leaflets till our shoes are worn out, now-a-days we also deliver letters, send emails and update our blogs and twitter feeds, but there is NO SUBSTITUTE for knocking on doors and talking to people.

The experience of last year’s local elections as a Party of Government in Westminster has taught us the importance of talking directly to voters. This is why you and your team to be knocking on doors now.

 
Why is this so important?
1 - It's very easy for politics and politicians to become remote. But as campaigning local Liberal Democrats a fundamental core of our belief is that we stand up for local people. To do this we need to talk to people, we need to find out what issues concern people as the basis for our local campaigning. People are genuinely pleased to see local politicians talking to them outside of election time.

2 - Not everybody hates us! It's true - have you knocked on any doors recently? Despite what those increasingly nasty people in the Labour Party would have us believe, most people understand the issues that the country is facing, and most people understand the commitment that Liberal Democrats have to their local area.

3 - Getting out "our vote" and squeezing the third party is crucial in winning local elections. But we can't do this unless we know who our supporters are, and who 3rd party supporters are. Use your door knocking to update your voter ID - compare this to previous data and you can see how you're doing in different areas.

4. Getting real data from real people makes it easier to plan your strategy for the campaign if you have good data on voting intentions now.  It helps you understand which wards are safe, which ones need more work, and if any particular target literature is needed

Why Now?
This election is going to be a challenge. Starting your campaign in April is not going to work this time. By starting now you give yourself a better chance of being re-elected. Many people have already started, or started last year, or do this continuously - they have an even better chance of winning in May.

How to get going

1 - Sort out some calling leaflets. There are some really good simple A4 leaflets on the ALDC website which will work in any area - all you need to do is add your picture(s) and contact details. It might be a good idea to give the door-knockers some "action forms" to take a note of any casework - including email addresses!)

Candidate canvass leaflets from our Artwork pack 1 first published in August last year :
Black and White PagePlus11
Black and White PDF
Two colour PagePlus11
Two colour PDF
Full colour PagePlus11
Full colour PDF

2 - Sort out when you're going. Choose two or three times a week when you're going out as a "team" (it's much more satisfactory as a team). Tuesdays at 6, Saturdays at 10, Sundays at 4 - whatever works for you and your team.

3 - Sort out who you're calling on. Some people "filter" the canvass sheets so we only call on more important households - if you put on the marked register from the General Election you could "filter out" people who didn't vote in the General (if they didn't vote then they're unlikely to vote in the locals!), if you're fighting Labour it might be an idea to filter out HARD Labour households (and people down as Anti or Not Voting or BNP) - no point wasting your time is there?

4 - If it's raining have some telephone canvass sheets as a backup. Invite people round to your house, give them a cup of tea and some biscuits and do a couple of hours phoning round the kitchen table as a group (most people have minutes on their mobiles, or get some old mobiles out of an old drawer with a pay as you go SIM).

ALDC has written a series of articles on voter ID that explains all different aspects of voter ID.  The full series is available to be viewed by ALDC members on our website.

At 10pm in 100 days time and it will "all be over bar the counting" for this year's local elections. I do not need to tell you that the next 100 days are going to be tough for Liberal Democrats up and down the country to get the message across and campaign to have more Lib Dem Councillors representing local people on the 3rd  May 2012. 

Target Ruthlessly
If you've not done this already the campaign from now on should be only about targeted seats. This means campaigning in the local elections where we plan to HOLD a Lib Dem seat, or WIN a new Lib Dem seat. Remember ALL your historic canvas data will need to be revisited before May 3rd.  This will require a lot of extra work in wards which we have historically regarded as safe and targeting plans need to reflect this. If you don’t recruit new members, canvassers and deliverers in the next few weeks you will need to target your existing resources on fewer wards to be successful. It’s that simple.

It’s wild and windy but there’s just 120 days till polling day on May 3rd 2012 so why should I appoint my agent now?

Being the agent for an election candidate is a highly responsible and legally significant position (see the article below) and one that many candidates (and local parties) leave to the beginning of the regulated election period (27th March). True, you have to appoint an agent as part of the nomination procedure between 27th March and noon on 4th April 2012 or else act as your own agent (not at all advisable) but an agent can be much more than the legal limiter and conscience of the campaign.
An agent can be the one person you can rely on to be out with you canvassing on a cold dark night. The person who can be honest both to you about how you’re doing and honest to those overseeing our campaigning in the authority on how we are doing, free from the usual candidate’s rose tinted spectacles. They can be the one who keeps track of the stats and figures, the one who keeps you to your agreed campaign plan. They can both keep your feet on the ground and tell when you need and deserve a rest. In some campaigns this is separated out into a “campaign manager” role. The joint role has the advantage of somebody who can keep you up to the mark.
Obviously the more experienced your agent is the better. .It’s an ill wind that means that we have a lot of very experienced campaigners around the party at the moment who are not elected or defending seats, some who lost seats last May through no fault of their own. Grab them, grab their experience and get them helping you in the final 120 days of the campaign, not just the last 30.
So find your agent now!!

How can ALDC help?
In many cases agents are new to the job and learning their way. What is available to help you?
In the legal role of an election agent there is Winning Local Elections volume 3 “The Election Law Handbook” this is getting a bit dated but is still available in the ALDC online shop. The most up to date articles on new developments are in the Election Law part of the Advice section of the ALDC website.  We will also produce a number of Factsheets and articles on key issues such as the nomination process in the Election briefings over the next months. Why not get your Agent to sign up for Election Briefing? It’s not just for candidates! In addition, as the election approaches, we will be launching our usual Election Law phone line.
In their campaign management role (if they’re taking this on as well) then most of ALDC campaigning publications and advice will be invaluable. Why not get them to join ALDC its only £6.83 per month. Join here to get access to all our services.

G8 Deadline

The G8 Grants Committee is looking to make grants to local parties in Scotland, Wales and England who have local elections in May 2012. We know from experience that early campaigning activity works. We want to reward those that are starting early on their campaign for 2012 and are therefore "Round 2" of the grants, will be to reward local parties who can demonstrate a good level  of campaigning activity in the Autumn/Winter period running up to Christmas. Remember applications must be returned by this Sunday 8 January 2012.

John Bridges
Political Officer ALDC

These emails are being sent to our target candidates and key activists in the run up to the local elections in May 2012. If you should not be receiving this email, or you know of others who should but don’t contact me at ALDC and we’ll update our records!!!

It’s cold, wet and dark but there’s just 20 weeks till polling day on May 3rd 2012.

Welcome to the first of our campaign emails. These are being sent to our target candidates and key activists in the run up to the local elections in May 2012. If you should not be receiving this email, or you know of others who should but don’t contact me at ALDC and we’ll update our records!!!

In many wards we will need to identify 2,000 supporters between now and polling day to give us a chance of winning. That’s 100 a week. Start now, don’t wait until this becomes an insurmountable problem. 
Here are some things you can do to gather voter ID, even at this time of year…..

• Knock and drop surveying
• Chat canvassing
• Canvass old people’s homes and sheltered housing
• Tower blocks
• Phone surveying

Spreading the load is important, so take some time over the holiday period to say "thank you" to your helpers and supporters, whether it’s a card or a phone call it will pay dividends over the coming weeks.

Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:

There has been two bits of news on police this week.  Firstly, the good news that the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales will be delayed until November 2012 instead of being held on the same day as next year's local elections.  Secondly, in Scotland there has been opposition from local authorities to proposals by the SNP government to merge all of the police forces in to one force.  Something which the Scottish Lib Dems have been campaigning against for some time.

This week, the first 24 free schools opened in various places around the country, but there was controversy within the coalition when Nick Clegg demanded that whilst they should have flexibility in their curriculum and how they are run they shouldn't be allowed to make a profit.  On the opposite of the argument saying that free schools would have to make a profit was fellow Lib Dem Phil Willis.

On Lib Dem Voice, there was a discussion about the 'general power of competence' that local authorities will receive under the Localism Bill and whether these will be used effectively enough.

Lib Dem Voice's Local Election Channel praises Conservative MP Andrew Selous for tackling Eric Pickles on the amount of money that council chief executive's pocket for being the local returning officer.

There's a useful article myth-busting the current proposals to change the planning process on Conservative Home.  For a bit of balance there was an article in the Daily Telegraph by National Trust Director-General Fiona Reynolds criticising the changes.

Around the country:

Cornwall Council is to tighten up on people who have second homes who register to vote.

In Southwark, the local Lib Dems block a plan by the Labour council to build a £120,000 roof terrace at their council offices.

Within the Liberal Democrats the big news of the week was the announcement that Chief Executive Chris Fox is to step down from his job before the end of the year.