The Vitamin's Nonsense Page

The Vitamin's Rules...Bond LSA elections

It's Bond Law Student's Association (LSA) election time. As a former political adviser and campaigner, the political process is now in my blood and I can't get it out...sorry...don't want to get it out.

Here are my thoughts on the race so far. There are essentially two tickets with a few independent stragglers. The Wanted team and the Think team.

Most of the people running on the tickets are well known, affable individuals that can be seen for the most part around the law school. But here's the fatal flaw, they're relying on their status to win (there is one exception of an individual that has taken a step to do more....he'll remain nameless as I will try to remain somewhat neutral). I haven't had one person ask me for their vote. Not one. The most important thing you can do when running is ask people for their support and their vote. It usually doesn't take much more. It's the easiest thing to do.

Furthermore on the fact that the individuals running are relying on their reputations...well, everyone has people that like them. Everyone has people that will come to vote for them (in political talk you call that your base or your constituency). It's always good to have a good base, but it's a crap-shoot when it's all you rely on.

Not to say that going to lectures and speaking to the class beforehand isnt a good thing to do, but personal one-on-one contact is the single best thing you can do when running (with phoning and personalised emailing a distant 2nd and 3rd respectively).

From my limited inquisition into the Bond process I have gotten this much information. There are approximately 400 people at the law school. Last election only 100 people voted. There's no reason to believe that the number will go up this time. My calculator says that's 25 per cent. Now here's where you can make reasonable assumptions. The winning people got 50+ votes. The losers got anything under 50 votes. But let's say for argument, and something that is realistic, that the average winner got 65 votes and the loser 35 (yes...that equals one-hundred...I had to double check...) The person that only got 35 votes didn't have as many friends apparently (I will refer to this person as Mr 35) What should he have done? Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there were one-hundred people that voted and 300 more that did not. The person that got 35 votes surely could have gotten 30+1 more votes to put him over the top. What does that mean? It means a little over10 per cent of the rest of the 300 people that didn't vote....10 per cent!

A candidates base alone won't usually win an election...it's the extra they get above and beyond that help them win. A good story to emphasize this point is the story of Landslide Ernie. Ernie Eves won an election in 1981 by six votes. Many people that worked for him went above and beyond to get out the vote....drove miles through snow storms, got people out of senior's homes etc...Anyway, 25 years later Ernie became the Premier of Ontario. Without those 6 extra people none of it would have been possible. Nobody would know who Ernie Eves was...anyway....

In this case, there's a whole world of 75 per cent of people that are untouched. But you say, how does Mr 35 get these people out? Well use your brain...you look for people that you've never met before or you already do know and ask for their vote.

That's a start for Mr 35. But if he wants to take it up a notch and be smart, Mr 35 attempts to compile a list of at least 100 people that he has never met before. Mr 35 shakes their hand, introduces himself and asks for their vote. Come election day, he's got their name and phone number if possible so he can get in touch with them and encourage them and remind them about the vote. In our circumstances, most people will be walking around finishing up tutes or classes so it's easy to spot them, but if not, phone contact. So about those 100 people, 80 of them will tell him that they will vote for him (20 will say that they probably won't vote). 30 of them will now have a reason to vote and will vote, while another 50 will have to be reminded and pulled out of bed to vote...of those, you will be able to get 20. By my simple calculations Mr 35 is now Mr 85. Wow...he's now beaten Mr 65 by 20 votes....and that was the easy way.


I could go on forever....there's a hundred more things that can be done...but for now, this is the smartest and easiest. Requiring little elbow grease.

Because I am now getting too far behind on my school work I will give more tips on how to win and what works and other random observations.

• There's 400 people at law school. I bet someone has a list of those people...acutally i can guarantee that someone has a list. Whether it be a faculty member or whomever. This is one of the most important tools that can be utilised. If you have a list, then you know who can vote and you can contact them. Secondly, you can have a checkmark list of your supporters out of this list and make sure they come out to vote. Once you get Jimmy to vote, you work on susie, and then debbie....you're not wasting your time in a roped off area yelling at people.
  
• If you can't get a main list, you should make a list. Every member of the ticket should be writing down the name of every student they know and compile the list into one master list. Essentially this will be made up of around 100 people. Then once you've got that list...add to it with another 100 people you've contacted - the part about turning mr 35 into mr 85.
• Both teams are using visuals (shirts and few posters outside the law school tute room and in the LSA office) to sway the vote. This will do next to nothing without the personal contact. Essentially a waste of time and money.
  
• One of the tickets' has a website. A decent idea, but I can almost bet nobody has gone there.
  
• The President's debate is tonight. It's been my experience that little is accomplished at these debates. The majority of people that come to these debates have made up there mind and are coming to support a certain ticket already. Few votes are swayed. If there are 60 people there, 10 votes will be swayed.

That's all for now.

posted by The Vitamin's Blog @ 11:40 p.m.