New Voter Campaign Pack

Making contact with new voters in our wards is a vital part of our role as both community representatives and campaigners.

People who have recently moved into the area will not know who their local councillors are. They will not be aware of the year round community campaigning and support that the Lib Dems provide. They also may not know where to find and access the local services and facilities they need.

By making contact with new voters quickly we can welcome them to the community, answer any questions they have about the area and demonstrate that as Lib Dems we work hard all year round.

ALDC has produced a number of campaign resources to help you keep in touch with new voters in your ward. In this article you will find links to general new voters materials as well as more localised materials aimed towards areas with high levels of new voters on the electoral register – such as new build developments, HMO intensive areas and high rise flats – all of which will have particular issues that you should reflect in your communications.

General New Voter Materials

Whatever kind of area you represent there will be change in the electoral register each month. New people will move into your ward, and others will turn 18 and appear on the register for the first time. These changes to the electoral register will appear on Connect when it is updated regularly throughout the year. The most recent schedules for updates can often be found on the Connect Users facebook group here.

It is a really good idea to have a rolling system in place to send letters to new voters on the register at regular points throughout the year.

ALDC have produced a template mailing, consisting of a cover letter, survey and useful contacts card, to send to these new voters which you can download on the below links:

New Build Developments

If your ward has a New Build Housing Development within it you are likely to see a large number of new voters roll onto the electoral register each month. New Voters will also experience a very different set of issues in new developments – such as potential problems with household bin collections, issues with construction sites and construction traffic and the lack of facilities that developing areas often suffer from.

ALDC has produced a specific mailing for New Development areas that can be downloaded below:

Knock and Drop Surveys

New housing estates (where a large number of new voters will move into a street in a short space of time) are good areas to go door to door with a new build survey. New voters will be concentrated together, and by knocking on their doors and introducing yourself you will make a great first impression. You can download a specific knock and drop survey for new build developments below:

High-Rise Flats

High-rise flats and apartments also present good opportunities to engage with new voters. Much like new housing developments, new high-rise flats in urban areas will see a number of new voters move into a concentrated area during a short space of time. Again the issues people face in these areas will likely be different to traditional housing – there may be problems with service charges, communal bins, security and cladding.

ALDC has produced some specific materials for high-rise accommodation that you can download below:

Knock and Drop Surveys

High-rise flats (particularly those that are recently built) are good areas to go door to door with a survey. New voters will be concentrated together, and by knocking on their doors and introducing yourself you will make a great first impression. You can download a specific knock and drop survey for high-rise flats below:

HMO Areas

If you represent an urban ward you may have a high number of Houses in Multiple Occupation in your community. Populations in these areas are often quite transient and you may see a lot of change on the electoral register from month to month. If you have a large student population in your ward this change will be seasonal and you will see large numbers of new voters move into the area every Summer. This issues local people face in HMO intensive areas will be different again and might focus on landlord issues, bins and fly-tipping, safety and transport.

ALDC has produced some new voter materials for HMO areas that can be downloaded below. You should keep in mind that there will be a number of individuals living in each house. Addressing a letter to the whole household might mean it only gets read by one person. You should therefore produce a new voter mailing for each individual surname in HMO intensive areas.

Knock and Drop Surveys

If you represent an area with lots of HMOs, particularly those with a large student population, then you might find a lot of new voters roll onto the electoral register over the summer months. Late-Summer / early-Autumn might be a good time to go door to door with a knock and drop survey.

Further Materials and Getting Data out of Connect

The Lib Dem Campaigns and Elections team has produced a campaign pack for new voters.

Included in this are some alternative designs for mailings, surveys and contact cards, some useful materials for new students in your area and a handy guide on how to access New Voter data on Connect for your mailings.

You can find the campaign pack here (please note you need access to the Lib Dem Campaign Hub to access it).

Comments
Andrew Murday says

We were unsure on 2 issues:
1: is the list in Connect all voters or just those who opt to go on the ‘open’ list?
2: is it OK to write unsolicited mail using Connect names and addresses?

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