We’re now well beyond the halfway point between the election announcement and polling day. For a month, our TVs and social media feeds have been inundated with the faces of senior party members, campaign buses, candidates meeting voters, and the occasional party leader falling off a paddle board.
While the public may see the glitz and glamour, the reality is that the success of a candidate hinges on the hard work of volunteers who tirelessly knock on doors, make phone calls, post leaflets and analyse data to ensure their message reaches every corner of the constituency. I want to pull back the curtain and look at the role these volunteers play during an election campaign.
The long campaign
Political campaigning has two phases: the long and short campaign. The long campaign is anything outside the period between an election being called and polling day.
Some activists will be long-campaigning for local elections, as well as on behalf of their prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC). As soon as a PPC is selected, it’s important to get them known to their constituents and to form an idea of where voters are ahead of an election. Spending weekends and evenings door-knocking requires a huge amount of dedication, especially if you have family or work commitments. You’ll pull into the car park of the designated meeting point to find half a dozen or so campaigners already there underneath umbrellas or wearing waterproof jackets and trousers. Hours later, you say goodbye to them having walked miles, looking dishevelled and ready for a hot bath, parting with “See you next weekend!” as cheerily as you can muster.
It’s the dedication of those long-campaigners, however, that makes the difference during the short campaign, which begins as soon as an election is called.
The short campaign
One of the few privileges exclusive to the Prime Minister is deciding on the date and calling the election. Local parties of all denominations will plan and strategise for months, so when the balloon finally does goes up, they’re ready.
The handful of regular campaigners are joined by an army of volunteer activists on the phones and in the streets, all driven to spread the party message. This is when the efforts of the long-campaigners pays off.
“It feels different this year,” one Suffolk activist told me recently. “I’m getting positive conversations with people on the doorstep. We’ve knocked on 7,000 doors so far and it’s making a difference.” Having someone say, “I like what you’ve got to say, so I’m giving your guy a chance,” provides an indescribable lift. It energises you after hours sustained only by packets of crisps and sandwiches and dealing with an arch nemesis – the weather.
The weather
Traditionally, general elections are called in May. The last two, in June 2017 and December 2019, bucked this trend. Both were snap elections amid the Brexit referendum fallout – when MPs can’t reach a decision, power is handed back to the country.
The sudden announcement of this election date during peak holiday season has caused some issues. “It’s been a bit of a challenge getting people to volunteer because many have booked their holidays,” one campaign coordinator told me over the phone. “I’ve had to cancel mine.”
Despite this, many are relieved to be campaigning in the summer. “I’m happy it’s not in winter this time!” one activist from Norwich said, reminiscing about the struggle of separating leaflets while wearing gloves or risking chilblains by working bare-handed during the 2019 campaign. “It rained all day. By lunchtime I was soaked, I had to go home and change twice.”
Admittedly, the weather has been more rain than sun so far for this year. This does provide one advantage. More people stay at home, so it’s more likely you’ll get to have a conversation with people to discover what their views are and how they intend to vote.
The data wizards
Every doorstep conversation and phone call serves two purposes: to find out how people intend to vote and to give campaigners an idea where they need to focus their efforts. Each office will have a small cohort of trusted activists who translate this data into actionable insights during the campaign. Activists speak to thousands of people, so it’s vital that during the campaign their efforts are spent in the most efficient way, especially during the final weeks. It’s the data wizards who identify the people activists need to focus on – the undecided voters.
Prioritising undecided voters means that activists can get a skewed idea of how the campaign is going. It’s known as candidate’s disease. Every PPC and some activists will feel at some point that they are definitely going to lose as nobody will vote for them. It’s often the data wizards who are tasked with sitting them down, showing them the data, and reassuring them that the constituency is not all in a secret Facebook group planning their downfall.
The unsung heroes
Behind every candidate, there’s a team of volunteers working together to get them elected. Amidst the long hours and unpredictable British weather, there are shared moments of phone bank pizza parties, funny conversations on doorsteps, excitement when you convince an undecided to vote for your party, the hilarious late nights in the office printing leaflets, and the unwavering commitment to the cause that keeps all campaigners going. Look back over those weeks during the election campaign and it’s those memories that will be top of your mind when, a few months later, you get a phone call from your local party campaign coordinator asking if you happen to be free next weekend to deliver some leaflets.
