HOW TO WIN A HIGH SCHOOL ELECTION





HOW TO WIN A HIGH SCHOOL ELECTION
ISBN # 0-9667824-0-2
COPYRIGHT 1999 BY JEFF MARX

 All quotes contained herein are copyright protected by their respective authors and are included here pursuant to express permission from each author. No part of this book may be quoted or reproduced in any fashion whatsoever, in any medium, without advance written permission from the publisher. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.schoolelection.com





Talk to People and Ask Them to Vote
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It's the STUDENTS who will be voting. Go meet them!



When people see a ballot, they look for people they know. The more you are known, the better. Be friendly to EVERYONE, even the most unpopular people in school.

Paul Helmbrecht
Voter
Wellington, Montana


The only students who voted were the ones who either knew the candidates or had heard them speak. Candidates should really try to get out and speak about their individual platforms, making themselves known and available.

Emily Wood
Voter
Manasquan, New Jersey


I was running against a very popular girl in my class. I believe that I won because I was more "seen" by more people in general. While she was very popular in my class, I was more visible to the younger grades and I was always nice to them. The girl I was running against was nice to them during her campaign, but she never had been before and I think they were able to see through that. Be aware of the people who are going to be voting.

Emily Stoufer
Student Council President
Nunda, New York


The girl who ran against me was a lot like me, except she wasn't a very friendly person at all, except when it came time for students to vote. I've seen a lot of elections where the best person for the job didn't get elected because they were just shy or something and people never really got to know them. It's hard but you almost have to be a people person so that people won't think that you'll be too shy to push for things.

Megan Statom
Student Council President
Lancaster, Kentucky


Be sure you take every opportunity to meet the people you expect to vote for you!!!! The more people you know the better!!!!!

Lisa Danser
Student Body Secretary
Gastonia, North Carolina


Everybody wants someone they know running the show.

Matt Castleman
Voter
Morgan Hill, California


There is always some popular kid running, but the majority of the student body isn't in the popular crowd, they just happen to know the kids that are and would prefer to vote for someone they've heard of. But if you take your time to meet people and get to know them, you'll find that their votes can be easily altered.

Jennifer Galipault
Student Council Treasurer
Fort Lauderdale, Florida


Talk to everyone. Just say hi to the kids who you don't really know, but know who they are. Say hi to the kids who aren't popular, and you'll gain their respect.

S. Kyle Overstreet
Student Council President
White Oak, Texas


It's time to meet THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE SCHOOL. It's most likely that you hang around your clique and you are pretty liked so you think that you will definitely win, but actually there are other groups that have their most popular person too. The thing to do is be a good friend to EVERYBODY instead of being best friends with three people. Intermingle and meet people.

Tiffany Noell Gilbreath
Vice President
Birmingham, Alabama


A girl who ran for Senior Class President was very unlikely to win because nobody saw her as popular. She did win, and by a very large margin. What was her secret? She knew everybody and didn't really realize it. She was just friendly and spoke to people. You don't have to have tons of friends to be popular and you don't have to force yourself upon people. Just be friendly and speak to everyone and they will remember you.

Shelby Olson
Voter
Rapid City, South Dakota


Not elaborate propaganda, or witty slashing of your opponent, but relations, it is all about relations.

Drew Foster
Voter
Baldwinsville, New York


Most of the kids would get up to the microphone and make us promises they knew they could never keep. The other ones just acted dumb, hoping their popularity would compensate. I was never convinced, though, and neither were the other kids. The candidates I've always remembered throughout my years in school are the ones who've made themselves known.

Jennifer Kendra Clark
Voter
Tampa Bay, Florida

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You don't have to be friends with everyone to be friendly.



Allow yourself to get past old "barriers" -- social, personal, whatever -- to at least look like you care about people enough to talk to them and acknowledge their presence.

Shannon Hinkle
Class President
Clarksville, Indiana


Don't be a SNOB (so many times people think they are better than others because they are an elected official). REMEMBER: THE ONLY WAY TO BE A LEADER IS TO BE A SERVANT.

David Pearce
Student Body President
Murfreesboro, Tennessee


A girl in my choir class who was running for office came up to me and said, "Oh, you're the girl in choir that sings the solos, right? Vote for me," and handed me a paper and stuff that had her slogan on it. I didn't vote for her. I think that a person should not just thrust their handouts at everyone, but be open enough to learn people's names and be interested in them, and the person will get more votes.

Marisa Ruth Werner
Voter
West Valley City, Utah


It's important to have personal contact with a lot of people, but it's absolutely crucial that you don't have bad breath, because that really turns people off. See a dentist, brush your teeth, brush your tongue, chew gum, eat mints, whatever. Just don't offend people with your halitosis, it's gross.

Jamie Allison Torberts
Voter
Gainesville, Florida

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Be aware of what voters want. Ask them. Listen to them.



Talking to students about their concerns can help you make campaign promises both that you can fulfill and that everyone will like.

Beth Russo
Freshman Senator
Beaumont, Texas


Go out and learn about the people you're trying to reach. Talk with them, find out what "they" want. Someone might give you a great idea.

Michael Crosswhite
Voter
Belleview, Florida


Maybe send out questionnaires or stop students in the hallway to find out what changes they would like in the student council and around the school.

Claire Leone Bissett
Voter
Perthshire, Scotland


Always integrate the ideas of others into your platform. That way you are on everyone's side. Be a people person, not an icon.

John-Paul Wolf
Student Body Historian
Las Vegas, Nevada


Last year a friend of mine running for Junior Class VP set up a podium with speakers in the quad in the middle of the school. He had on a funky "Cat in the Hat" hat and pointed to people with a cane and just started talking to them as they walked by. He asked them what they wanted from the school and fielded questions then and there. He even got some teachers into the questioning. The way he was himself and got his caring/funny personality across to people was great. It was so unique that no one forgot it come election time. Because of his energy, and how he talked to the students, he won.

Charles Lock
Voter
Lexington, Massachusetts


A student at my school announced that he was going to sit at a table in the cafeteria, hall, or other public and easily accessible place so that he could get input, ideas, even criticisms from the students so he knew what needed to be done. I thought this was an excellent idea.

Christina Littlefield
Voter
Hampton, Virginia


One thing that worked in our recent sorority elections, was a girl in our house e-mailed all the other girls, and asked for suggestions, which showed genuine interest.

Christine Yorkshire
Voter
Northbrook, Illinois


Never ignore them or beg them to vote for you, just be nice and really listen to what they are saying, it makes them feel good, and it makes them feel more comfortable around you and sometimes it even causes them to look up to you.

Todd Stewart
Voter
Tampa, Florida


I would have to say that the people who had the most success were the people who actually talked to individuals. If the candidate can get their ideas and beliefs clearly across to even a handful of people, then the snowball effect kicks in. I think that candidates make the assumption that whoever makes the most friends will win, however, this is not always true. I found it an insult to my intelligence when candidates would speak down to me (the audience) and bring in issues that were irrelevant. The most efficient candidate would take informal polls of what issues the voters felt were most important, and then determine what he/she could do about those issues.

Rachael Lennon
Voter
Issaquah, Washington

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Not everyone votes. Go after the ones who don't. If you ask them to vote, you're asking them to do you a favor.



Talk to everybody you know about voting for you. Even if people are your friends, they may be just too lazy to vote. You have to keep reminding them to vote for you, but in a way that's tactful and not annoying.

Joshua Stern
Senior Class President
Poughkeepsie, New York


Students don't like having to spend part of their lunch period waiting in a line to vote.

Michael Lin
Voter
Millsbrae, California


You will have the best chance by bringing out the people who would normally not vote.

Ben Vandaley
Voter
Rapid City, South Dakota


Get the people who don't care either way to vote for you (the people who just don't care in general).

Sam S. Fleming
Social Chairman of Latin Club
Huntsville, Alabama


I think the biggest thing in getting elected is getting people to know who you are. Stickers and posters and stuff is all good, but I think you need to be in touch with the people. You can win hundreds of votes from people that have no clue what they are doing. It sounds stupid, but go for the kids who don't speak English or the kids who don't give a damn. You'll see that they are more likely to vote for you than the average "popular kid." The main thing is to get people to know you, especially the, shall we say, losers, because their vote counts for a lot.

Maynard James Keenan
Middle School President
Bedford, Massachusetts


On the day of the election, a friend of mine who was helping my campaign went to every table and asked every person if they had voted yet. If they hadn't, he dragged them up to the polls. He didn't ask who they had voted for, just if they had voted at all.

Lauren Stewart
SGA Vice-President of Student Concerns
Kansas City, Missouri


Many schools publish phone books with every student's phone number in them. The night before the election, I called up every single person in the book (even those I thought would not support me) and asked for their support the next day. It took me a very long time (about five hours), and I had a few long distance calls. It was definitely worth it though. Nothing shows your dedication more than this personal touch.

Joshua Karns
Student Council President
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania


The number one reason why I won the election was because my campaign was funny. Everything else was secondary. A large percentage of the class is apathetic to the outcome of the election anyway. By posting funny signs and making the whole campaign something that was fun and amusing to witness, I got the votes of people who usually probably wouldn't even vote.

Joshua Stern
Senior Class President
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Get people involved in helping your campaign.



Have a friend or relative in school help with your campaign (the more the merrier) and pass your name around school.

Tina M. Yauger
Voter
Fairfield, Ohio


A thing that helped me to win the election was I made sure I gave my friends jobs to do, so they felt involved and connected to my campaign, and if I was to be elected, then they knew that they put me there, and their support would not be forgotten. Students don't want to elect someone that they think is above them, or better than them. They want someone they know will listen to them, and that they feel comfortable confronting.

Jarrett Fisher
Student Body President
Bakersfield, California


You should try to have friends from all different "groups." If you have intellectual friends, they can help you on speeches and if you have popular friends they can get their friends to vote for you. If you have friends that goof off all the time, they can create humor in your speeches and help give you personality.

Derrick Leonard
Secretarial Candidate
Bristol, Tennessee


Some advice I could give is "treat everyone like somebody." Nobody wants to feel unimportant and not useful. Make a point to get anyone you can involved in your campaign, have them pass out flyers, stickers, candy, etc. Then, whether you win or lose, make sure to thank each of them personally for their help.

David Pearce
Student Body President
Murfreesboro, Tennessee


Use your friends. Ask for their help in making posters, passing out campaign items and spreading the word.

Daniel Colton
Student Body President
Scottsdale, Arizona

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(c) 1999 Jeff Marx Books