Election Central Duties

Mayoral candidate

You must debate the issues on your political platform of Democratic or Republican values. Choose 1-3 issues that are most important to your City-wide campaign, while keeping in mind the other candidate’s possible top issues. You should have background knowledge of the issue, a plan of action to resolve the issue, and be able to anticipate questions the other candidates may ask you that might weaken your plan of action.You will also deliver one speech in class that is written by your speech writer for the Primary election with 3-5 main problems (and their solutions) for the City of New Amsterdam. You will work closely with your speech writer to come up witha typed speechfor the final debate. Primary debate scheduled for: 10/22, 10/23Final Debate scheduled for:10/29, 10/30.

Campaign Manager

You will work closely to assist the candidate to polish 3-5 issues for the Primary debate. Pay attention to the issues other candidates have publicly stated as their issues (record them). You must schedule your candidate to appear with the organizer of this debate (your teacher). Your role includes keeping everyone in your campaignon task: check on their progress and assist when needed in any area, as your priority is to get your candidate elected. You will also assist the finance manager in locating key endorsements after the speeches, sending thank you flowers, scheduling any and all appearances, approve advertising, and check the power of the finance manager if they spend too much. You will have to schedule your advertisement with the station manager of CNN or FOX (Me) or the advertising executive at the newspaper (Me). You must turn in a typed summary of the members of your group, the 3-5 issues your campaign is running on, your political affiliation, a lengthy discussion of the platform of your party.

Due:10/15, 10/16.

Speech Writer

You know the main issues your candidate believes will help New Amsterdam. You must write two speeches for the candidate to deliver based on those issues while stressing how critical they are toward improving the city. Use the demographics of New Amsterdam, provided to your group, and tailor the Primary speech to appeal to aninterest group your candidate most appeals to (see below). Also, make a bumper sticker that supports your candidateDue: 10/20, 10/21. Create a typed, double spaced speech for Primary with Mayoral candidate (approx. 1 page)

Due:10/22, 10/23. If your candidate wins the primary, you must write another speech for the Final debate. Note: Your candidate will be assigned to speak to one of the following interest groups: (see teacher for placement@ later date)

New Amsterdam AARP, New Amsterdam PTSA, New Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce meeting, Environmental Watchdog group of New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam Rod and Gun Club. There will be key endorsements at each of these appearances.

Finance Manager

You and the campaign manager will identify key endorsements in the classroom and persuade these people to support your candidate after the Primary speeches (above). Therefore, you must know the issues your campaign represents. It will cost between $1 million – 3 million to effectively influence voters, create advertising, schedule appearances, provide transportation, clothing, phones, and other expenditures for your candidate, as well as feed and rent space for the campaign staff for a period of 3 months. Your campaign begins with $500,000. Keep track of your spending; it must be based on actual costs, which involves research of real life campaigns. No one in your group can spend money without your approval! All campaign costs must be typed, recorded and turned in, along with the endorsements or donations from celebrities/interest groups with name, title, donation amount. Due:10/27, 10/28

Media Advisor

You will create a 90 second advertisement, ideally a video to share with the class. Watch a variety of campaign advertisements at to get a good understanding of how your candidate should be portrayed. If you cannot make a video advertisement, you can opt to create a full page ad in one of the leading newspapers. You must locate the actual cost of any ad you produce and then check with your finance manager to be sure your campaign has enough money. A possibility exists to also create a 90 second radio ad.

Be certain your video is formatted for the school and test that the file opens, etc. BEFORE the due date of: 10/22, 10/23.The library has a simple video camera called a flip camera. See Ms. Arkans to check it out. Do Not Bombard Ms. Cone with questions. You can easily do this on your own.

------DATES TO REMEMBER------

Campaign Schedule:

Typed introduction to candidate, issues, and party 10/15, 10/16

Bumper sticker 10/20, 10/21

Advertisements will be shown on 10/22, 10/23

Speeches will be given 10/22, 10/23

Primary Debates by all candidates 10/22, 10/23

Specific Financial information 10/27, 10/28

Final Debate10/29, 10/30

3 News Articles on Campaigns10/15,16; 11/5,6; 11/12,13

1 Public Meeting11/3,11/4

5 Service hours11/12,11/13

→ → PLEASE TYPE EVERYTHING ← ←

Project Resources:

FactCheck.org "monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases."

"RaceProject.org is designed for individuals interested in matters of race and politics.”

to presidential candidates and campaigns from 1960 to the present

This interactive website helps students "examine how issues they consider important are played out in their own governments and election campaigns."

Database of information and documents of Presidential Speeches, featuring transcripts of speeches, biographies, and essays.

Gives accurate information about who is giving big $ to candidates, political parties. Can be used against your opponent!

Name ______

Date ______

UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROLE

1)What is your role in the campaign? Describe it in your own words.

2)What are the major duties of your role? List them:

3)What are three types of information that will help you make campaign decisions? Explain why each of these will be important in helping you make decisions.

4)What specifically happens to your campaign if you don’t complete your role? What

information will be missing from the campaign?

5) With what members of the campaign team will you work most closely? What kinds of projects will you work on with those members? Explain, in detail, WHO you are working with and what you both need from one another.

Plan a Campaign Week (everyone)

Now that you understand your role, as well as the roles of other members of a campaign, it is time to plan the first week on the campaign trail.
The goal for your group is to fill out a schedule for the week, choose commercials to create and purchase, and choose polls to purchase.
Your campaign already has $500,000 in the bank. You should spend wisely. You do not want to spend all of your money on one part of your campaign. Keep track of how much money your team spends.

Directions:

The members of your campaign team will need to work together to finish the following tasks:

Schedule each day for the candidate. Each visit to a district costs $5000. This amount covers travel expenses like airfare and hotels. To plan the week’s schedule you must do the following:
The campaign manager, finance manager, and candidate should use the demographics and market information to choose what districts to visit.
Those same members should determine what places to visit in each district.

Places to visit (choose 1 for each day): church, hotel, school, resort, a store grand opening, a communications station, the courthouse, a farm, a computer factory, an automobile factory, a shipyard, a lumberyard, a forest, a housing project, a contributor’s home, or a park.
The campaign manager, finance manager, and candidate will need to determine how much of the time in each district, out of 10 hours, will be spent speaking, posing for photo-ops, or fundraising.
The campaign manager, finance manager and candidate should use the demographics and market information to choose three issues from the ones below to address in each district.

ISSUES(campaign manager, finance manager and candidate)

Prayer in schools
The environment
Taxes
Foreign policy
Social security
Family values
Crime
Green Economy

Health care
Economy
Labor unions
Affirmative action
Immigration

Capital punishment
Fracking
Racism

Welfare

Education

Gun control

Agriculture

Abortion

Civil rights
Same Sex Marriage

With the help of the all other positions, the media advisor should use the demographicsand market descriptions to make decisions about advertising.

a. Choose where and at what times to run the commercials (see attached cost sheet).

b. Use the demographics to help you make your decisions.

The candidate should prepare to visit the districts. With the help of the campaign manager, the candidate should come up with his or her opinion on the issues so that they will be ready to speak!

Districts(candidate & campaign manager)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9
Total Population / 10,567 / 21,400 / 6,322 / 23,586 / 15,677 / 7,088 / 12,888 / 34,811 / 18,899
Males / 6,3259 / 10,214 / 2,202 / 11,293 / 9,886 / 3,640 / 4,055 / 17,790 / 7,228
Females / 4,178 / 11,186 / 4,120 / 12,293 / 4,911 / 3,118 / 7,723 / 16,791 / 10,531
Ages 0-18 / 2,340 / 5,316 / 1,566 / 4,719 / 8,456 / 3,465 / 2,540 / 9,517 / 5,403
Ages19-35 / 1,987 / 7,363 / 2,007 / 7,578 / 5,944 / 2,752 / 4,389 / 5,748 / 4,670
Ages 36-55 / 5,786 / 5,426 / 1,576 / 6,320 / 840 / 5,128 / 4,334 / 11,276 / 5,113
Ages 56-100 / 1,044 / 4,776 / 1,304 / 4,077 / 2,560 / 1,415 / 1,556 / 7,045 / 3,380
Crime Rate / High / Medium / High / High / High / Medium / Low / Medium / Low
Unemploy / 7% / 6% / 9% / 7% / 10% / 6% / 9% / 8% / 4%

Advertising Markets(media advisor)

Market A

Population

/ 34,912

Males

/ 14,904

Females

/ 19,908

Democrats

/ 19,893

Republicans

/ 12,401

Market B

Population

/ 45,400

Males

/ 18,734

Females

/ 26,666

Democrats

/ 20,675

Republicans

/ 27,273

Market C

Population

/ 79,045

Males

/ 38,154

Females

/ 37,891

Democrats

/ 42,021

Republicans

/ 37,832

Advertising Costs(media advisor)

Note: Each marketing district has the same prices.

Television

Prime Time / $23,000
Sports / $23,000
Day Time / $15,000
News / $22,000
Late Night / $15,000

Radio

Drive Time / $12,000
Other / $7,000

Newspaper/Magazine / $7,000
Billboards / $14,000
Direct Mail / $15,000
Bumper Stickers / $8,000

You will need to purchase advertising time for each market. In other words, if you want to run prime time commercials in all three markets, you will need to pay $69,000, not $23,000.

Schedule(campaign manager, finance manager, and candidate)

Directions: Underneath each of the days of the week, write the name of the district that the candidate will visit, what three issues the candidate will discuss, and which place the candidate will visit. Also plan how much time (out of 10 hours) will be spent fundraising, speaking, or appearing for photo-ops.

Sunday
District:
Issues:
Place:
Hours:
Speaking:
Photo-ops:
Fundraising: /

Monday