Get Yourself Elected

Book excerpt: Tammy Pickering Barnett, a leadership and communications training consultant and past political candidate, provides practical tips for running a campaign and getting elected in this easy-to-read booklet. Get practical guidance on developing and honing your message, building a strong campaign team, getting organized, appealing to volunteers, and connecting with voters. Those are just the first steps to running a solid campaign: To win, youll need to promote your name and message to constituents, raise funds, and motivate the people who agree with your message to head to the polls. Youll also need to know how candidates earn free publicity, fine-tune their messages, capitalize on absentee voting as part of a get-out-the-vote strategy, and hold low-cost fundraisers to complement efforts. The booklet includes a section specifically designed for women on overcoming challenges, inspirational quotes, and engaging questions that prompt you to reflect on and apply what youve learned. If youre running for local office, youre doomed to fail if you dont know the lessons in Get Yourself Elected.