Planning Your Political Campaign Website

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What content do you need?

Here are some of the most common pages and information that political candidates include in their campaign websites. Use these tips to make your site as professional and complete as it can be.

Home Page

To start, you may want to create a ‘letter to voters’ announcing your campaign, why you are running, and what you hope to accomplish if you win.

In time, you can update the home page to include new developments or to shift your focus from awareness to support gathering.

Biography/Resume

Start with some basic personal information, such as family, time lived in the area, hobbies, etc. Take your resume and work it into a short biography. Don’t simply make it a list of your work or political history. Work in a few words about what you did in those positions and how they may relate to public service.

Your bio should tell more than just whether you are qualified. It should also give reasons for voters to relate to you.

Issues/Positions

This is the heart of your website. Issues can be split into separate pages or combined into one page. Stake your positions against those of your opponent.

If you have a large amount of detailed material, break it out further, perhaps into downloadable files for easier reading.

Endorsements

Include organizations and direct quotes, where possible. Endorsement quotes can be added throughout your site, particularly where they are relevant to specific issues.

Voter Registration Information

Provide a summary of local voting requirements and provide links to your state and county voting registration information.

News/Updates

This section can include announcements, links to news and event coverage. To start, this page can contain an initial press release announcing your campaign. Additional material can be added over time.

A calendar of upcoming events can also be included or set up on a separate page.

Contact Page

A basic form is often included on the contact page. Unless it is necessary, do not require a large amount of information from users in order to submit a form. A name, an email address and perhaps a phone number should be enough.

Donation Page

This page can be used to accept online donations and/or tell people where they can send money. The page can have a donation form, embed a donation form or link out to a secure donation page elsewhere. Be sure that your online donation page requests all the donor information required by law.

Volunteer Page

This page can include a form to gather information from those who want to do work for the campaign. In addition to requesting full contact information, include a list of recommended activities for volunteers to select.

You may also want to include a question as to whether the volunteer wishes to have their name used in the campaign.

Online Press Kit

This page can provide digital versions of campaign literature, high-res images and other information about you and your campaign.

Let the local press know about this information to make it easier for them to use the proper reference material.

Privacy Policy and Other Disclaimers

Most people don’t read “legalese”, but a good privacy policy helps build trust, particularly with potential donors. Most municipalities require by law some sort of disclaimer on the site. These disclaimers are typically located in the site footer.

This is just the start…

A website is an organic thing. It grows and evolves over time. Don’t worry if you don’t initially have everything you want on the site. That will come in time.

Use your campaign website as a hub for your online efforts. Use it to promote your platform, recruit volunteers, solicit donations and build followers across the social web.

Start Your Online Campaign Today!

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