<p>Results came out today for student council election. I am now the president. A loser with no life, I will now post my advices and strategies. I hope this can answer some of your questions, and hope that it will stick around long enough to benefit the next year candidates.</p>
<p>I did this in Microsoft Word, so sorry about the confusing indents. Although paying attention to the numerical orders can help.</p>
<li> Before you run, ask yourself, why am I running?
a. Possible incentives
i. Build resume for colleges
ii. Prove you are cool and popular
iii. You are the lesser of X evils or slackers or empty-promise-makers among the candidates
iv. Make real improvements for the school and the student body
b. Possible approaches
i. Realpolitik</li>
<li> The ends justify the means.</li>
<li> Divert all attentions to winning the election first</li>
<li> Make promises that you might keep, but will not bet your life on it
ii. Moralistic</li>
<li> Seriously consider your platform</li>
<li> Make substantial claims</li>
<li> Be truthful when answering the question why run?
iii. Ultra-moralistic</li>
<li> Vow that if won, will not put it on college applications
iv. Laid-back</li>
<li> For schools where few run for election</li>
<li> For schools where election equals popularity contest</li>
<li> The process
a. Beginning
i. Find out when campaign starts ahead of the time, that means, right now
ii. Find out scheduling conflicts. For example, if campaign and voting occurs during the AP week, plan ahead of the time
iii. Start conceiving your platform and advertising
iv. Research what the students want
v. Decide what to run for</li>
<li> President is usually the hardest to win</li>
<li> Vice-President is easier</li>
<li> In making the decision, ask smart friends for honest evaluations of your chances
b. Middle
i. Know thy enemies</li>
<li> Find out whose votes you will lose</li>
<li> Example: if your opponent is the football captain, you probably arent going to get football players
ii. Advertise, advertise, and advertise!</li>
<li> Purpose
a. About 70% of all high school students are swing voters
b. About 40% do not know any candidates
c. If they see your name a lot, they will identify themselves with it when it appears on the ballot</li>
<li> Be the first one to post posters
a. Lasting impression
b. Best spots for posters (most populous corridors, etc.)</li>
<li> Humor, humor, humor!
a. Parody popular commercials and slogans teenagers identify with
b. Examples
i. I saved $344.75 on car insurance by voting for _____
ii. Victorias REAL secret: she votes _____ for _____
iii. MasterCard Priceless theme
iv. Uncle Sam: I want YOU to vote for _____
v. Four out of five leading politicians (and dentists) recommend voting ____ for _____ at least twice a day</li>
<li> Professional looking
a. White posters
b. Do NOT use too many flashy colors.
c. Instead, use thick black, red, and dark blue
d. Do NOT include vulgarity, threats, or derogatory comments or connotations toward any group of people
e. Consider taping the white poster onto the wall, using a projector to project design onto the wall, and then trace everything
f. Do NOT boast your SAT, GPA, or sports captainship. This will only induce jealousy and encourage the notion that you are an arrogant ■■■■■■■.</li>
<li> Serious stuff
a. Cheesy-sounding musts
i. Identify with school mascot (Huskies spirit, etc.)
ii. Identify with school name
b. Platform
i. Promises</li>
<li> Interview peers to find out what they want the most
ii. Methods of accomplishing them
iii. Use bullets and NOT paragraphs
iii. Speech</li>
<li> It is extremely hard to joke on stage with hundreds of eyes on you; nonetheless you MUST be appropriately humorous</li>
<li> Short, concise speeches</li>
<li> Be LOUD. Dont trumpet your soporific personality</li>
<li> Make sure you dont sound pompous</li>
<li> Speak as though you are conversing with the audience</li>
<li> Plan ahead to bribe friends to cheer really loud when your speech ends
a. This can give those who didnt pay attention the sense that you were a great speaker</li>
<li> Say your name before the speech, during the speech, and after the speech
iv. Bribery</li>
<li> Free food</li>
<li> T-shirts with Vote ____ on them</li>
<li> Printed stickers with funny slogans and your name - so people can put on their clothes the day before election</li>
<li> Do NOT go overboard with this, you dont want to appear desperate
v. Sucking-up</li>
<li> Respect your peers
a. Duh, they are the voters
b. Do NOT succumb to ridiculous demands like Ill vote for you if you give me a dollar</li>
<li> Respect your teachers
a. Like it or not, they will be able to influence the voters because most students are swing voters</li>
<li> Respect your opponents
a. The worst thing you can do is to make personal attacks, physical or not
vi. Exploit the fact that you have friends</li>
<li> Get them to vote for you</li>
<li> Get them to gather more votes
a. The swinger voters are easily influenced by a few really loud people yelling hey yo, vote for _____, s/he mad cool
b. Free advertising</li>
<li> Bandwagon sentiment. If a lot of people seem to be voting for you, a lot will.</li>
<li> Get your grade (if you are a sophomore, for example), your homeroom, your classes, your clubs, your sports teams, and your bus to vote for you
vii. Keep your chin up high</li>
<li> Your confidence gives confidence to voters</li>
<li> You WILL hear many people saying that they will vote for someone else, but the truth is, so will every candidate out there</li>
<li> Popularity is one factor, but advertising is even more important because many are swing voters</li>
<li> Sometimes, candidates with similar approaches will get similar number of votes from the same group of students agreeing with their message.
a. None of them will stand out
b. Exploit this; be outrageous
i. Really seriously claim to be a Communist when everyone knows you are kidding
c. This worked for our school last year
c. End
i. MUST DOES</li>
<li> Pull down all the posters and fliers</li>
<li> Thank all your teachers</li>
<li> Smile to the voters, say thank you for your support
ii. If lost</li>
<li> Your efforts are not wasted
a. People respect those who run for office regardless of outcome
b. Your name is out; easier time running for National Honors Society elections, etc.
c. Valuable experience</li>
<li> Congratulate your opponents
iii. If won</li>
<li> Be humble</li>
<li> Start thinking about fulfilling your promises</li>
<li> Shake your opponents hands</li>
<li> Sneak hot girls bear hugs with the pretext of I won!</li>
<li> Additional suggestions
a. Consult smart friends on advices of running
b. Consult Government & Politics teachers
c. Do NOT underestimate your opponents
d. If you work hard enough, you can win
e. Good luck</li>
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