Road+to+Election


 * Road to Election **

It’s that time again. The primaries are over and the General Election is just around the corner. Preparation for an election requires extreme commitment because of the time and work it takes to campaign. You and your team have agreed to devote the time and energy necessary to work on a presidential campaign for your political party. From //Animal Farm//, select a candidate to run for president. Remember you need a candidate (animal) who will best represent your political party. As a group, decide what issues are most important to all members (based on your assigned political party) and use those to create a platform for the upcoming general election. Next you will create a campaign strategy using the worksheet provided. Be sure to spend time thinking about these important issues because they should be the basis of both the platform and campaign strategy. Use events and information from //Animal Farm// to maintain characterization. It is not necessary for you to preface your campaign with the entire plot of //Animal Farm//, however, your candidate’s character should not drastically change for the campaign. If your character has noteworthy actions from the book, feel free to use the events and incidents to strengthen the persuasion of your campaign. Once you have laid the groundwork for the campaign, your team will work to raise awareness about the issues and encourage citizens (fellow classmates) to vote for your candidate.

** The Roles: **

** Press Secretary **** - ** responsible for formulating a FAQ to clarify misconceptions for their candidate campaign. ** Campaign Manager **** - ** facilitates work on the platform, campaign strategy and motivates group members. ** Media/Publicity Advisor **** - ** ensures all campaign publicity materials are in order and presented to the class with an explanation of each item. ** Political Advisor/Research **** - ** advises campaign team on the party’s issues, and collect information for the final press conference.

** The Campaign: **

** Who are we? **

// Platform // Visit the internet site of your designated political party. Get-to-know the beliefs and perspectives of your political party as you read through issues. Create a list of 4 issues important to your political party. Include a concise explanation of your party’s stance on the topic. Each issue and explanation must be written in complete sentences and should not be copied and pasted from the site. Everything in this project should be in your own voice. Remember these issues make up your party’s identity.

// Campaign Strategy // This document lays out your ideas for a successful campaign. Answer each question using thoughtful and complete sentences.

__ Step 1: Platform and Strategy __ Participants: All Campaign Team Members

Procedure: 1. Team should choose and agree upon 4 issues from their political party’s platform to use. 2. Each team member (regardless of role) should choose one of the four issues and write a statement explaining the political party’s stance. 3. All issues and explanations will be combined into one document: the party platform. Use the platform document below. 4. Each student should answer all seven questions for the campaign strategy. DO NOT DIVIDE THE QUESTIONS UP. Each student should reflect on the question and appropriate answer. Students will use typewith.me to complete the platform and strategy. 5. Teams will compose one strategy using input from each teammate.

__ Step 2: Campaign Message __ Participants: All Campaign Team Members Time Allotted: Ten Minutes

Procedure: 1. Review your platform and strategy. 2. Consider your political party's stance. 3. Select a message that is creative and //best // ties your four planks together while also correlating with the traditional party stance. Your platform/planks should correlate, so further attention in this area should not be an issue. 4. Message will be presented during a gallery walk.

//** Propaganda **// What creative slogan or design would represent your candidate and political party best? Creativity, here, is key.

__ Step 3: Campaign Propaganda __ Participants: All campaign team members

Procedure: 1. Choose two types of propaganda. 2. Choose one campaign item (poster, bumper sticker, t-shirt design, handouts) and one commercial (tv advertisement storyboard, radio ad). One form of propaganda, for each media source, should be obvious to the audience. Shoulder partners will work together to complete one campaign item. ONLY TWO campaign items are required per team. 3. Items created should highlight the slogan your team created.

**// Debate //** Each team will answer questions posed by the moderator about their stance on issues, plans for our nation and current events. Use the information your team compiled in the platform and strategy.

__ Step 4: Platform Defense and Debate Statements __ Participants: All campaign team members

Procedure: 1. Refer to other campaign messages to prepare for the opposition. 2. Using your team’s platform, the campaign message, and any additional information you gathered from the gallery walk, develop a defense for your platform. 3. Your team will create an opening and closing statement. The bulk of the debate will be answering questions asked by the moderator.

• Opening Statement o Conveys your campaign’s message o Links your campaign’s message to your platform and/or planks, but does not give away all of your plans, goals, and/or secret weapons o Invites the audience to support you and your message

• Closing Statement o *Note: This statement is a general idea of what you might say in tomorrow’s debate as your ideas may change once you answer the questions and hear the contents of the oppositions’ arguments. o Reminds the audience of your primary focus and message o Briefly restates the ideas you believe emerged as most important o Leaves your audience with a lasting message, making them feel you are the strongest candidate for president.

Be prepared to answer questions from the moderator on foreign relations, education, national security, healthcare, energy independence and civil rights. You may be asked about major current events and your political party’s stance on the issues.

**// Presentation //** // Press Conference //

Each team will formally present their campaign materials and answer questions from the audience. The purpose of the press conference is to address citizen apathy.