Targeting Voters - National Democratic Training Committee

Targeting Voters

By Kelly Dietrich
45 min
Field

What You’ll Learn

  • How to target voters by voter history, demographic data, and geography
  • Identify specific groups of voters to comprise your Persuasion universe
  • Determine the strategies to reach your targeted voters

If your campaign will not be using VoteBuilder, this is the targeting course you need. But if the campaign will be using the VoteBuilder software, take “VoteBuilder 101” instead.

Why This is Important

Most campaigns don’t have the time, money, or people to talk to every single eligible voter, nor is this a good use of those resources. This course helps determine which voters a campaign should communicate with and the best strategies to reach them to be efficient and effective with resources.

Key Resources

  • Your Persuasion Targets Worksheet
  • Aisha Iqbal’s Field Plan
  • Precinct Ranking Example & Template
  • Field Plan Template

Related Trainings

  • Calculating Your Vote Goal — If your Persuasion universe size isn’t calculated yet, take this course and complete the Key Field Numbers workbook so you can do the activities in “Targeting Voters”
  • Field Tactics — Once you identify who to contact, it’s time to talk to them. This course helps set up your voter contact efforts, including training and supporting volunteers
  • Writing Voter Contact Scripts — Learn how to write the scripts your campaign will use to speak to voters. By scripting the language volunteers use on the doors and phones, the campaign can guarantee they’re having a high-quantity of high-quality conversations

Kelly Dietrich

Trainer

As founder and CEO of the National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC), Kelly Dietrich brings more than 20 years of experience on dozens of Democratic campaigns across the country. Kelly started NDTC in 2016, where at the time it was a collection of videos covering an array of campaign topics, available to campaigns and their volunteers for free. Five years later, those videos grew into a fully fledged training program with hundreds of courses, videos, and articles about running effective campaigns. Kelly’s expertise in various areas — fundraising, staff training, sci-fi (maybe not as much) — have shaped NDTC into an industry leader in Democratic politics. Originally from Missouri, Kelly lives in Chicago, IL with his wife, daughter, and dog, Tulip, who is allegedly part cat. Beyond work, Kelly is a diehard Kansas Jayhawk and an avid poker player. Kelly also serves on the board of directors at his local park, Sheil Park. This is where he “plays” basketball, which according to his wife can only be loosely considered a hobby. Even with all these interests, Kelly remains committed to making sure high quality tools and training are available to any Democrat who steps up to run for office, work on a campaign, or make their community better.