13 Must know things about email lists for political campaigns - By: Ron Fox

So, you have a plan for the campaign and are prepared. Let's look at that. The plan includes emailing perspective voters, so you need a voter registration list with emails. Many of your friends are saying you can get it for free. Well, maybe. Your county or state party may have a current list but it doesn't mean they will give it to you. They have their reasons. So here is what you need to know.

(1) Any list of voters will, at best, only contain 15-20% of email addresses. So don't think you are going to email all voters in your area.

(2) Very few list companies have search criteria based on the needs of a political campaign. You need lists based on: (a) political voting boundaries, like district, not based on zip codes; (b) party affiliation; (c) frequency of voting in primary and general elections; (d) donor history.

(3) Good email lists are not easy to come by and can be expensive. $.12 to $.20 each address is common.

(4) The price can increase based on quantity and demographic criteria. A list of voters who have contributed to past political campaigns will cost more than just a list of voters. Note: it is generally better to pay the extra money and get the most refined list possible for your needs. You get better results and it saves money in the long run.

(5) There is usually a minimum charge regardless of the number of addresses available.

(6) Some list companies won't provide you with the list but require you send the email through them (for a fee).

(7) People are constantly changing their email addresses, so the older the list the fewer deliverable addresses.

(8) Even a new list will contain undeliverable email addresses.

(9) You will need a way to clean the undeliverable addresses from your list.

(10) Many lists are sold for one time use only with an additional charge for multiple use.

(11) Some list companies salt their list to detect multiple use.

(12) You are renting the use of the list and the list company still owns the data.

(13) You cannot re-sell the list or even give it away.

Useful Recommendation:

Obtain your lists at the beginning of your campaign so you know what you have to work with. Waiting until just before you want to use it can lead to some nasty surprises about cost, availability, and time to obtain. WinAnElection has the most complete lists available for various uses in a political campaign. Some are free lists, when combined with the purchase of a website and campaign software, while others are fee lists and incur a charge based on search criteria. Customer service will get answers to your list questions.

About the Author

Ron Fox is the founder of WinAnElection. WinAnElection is dedicated to developing affordable professional http://www.winanelection.com/">election campaign tools so that more ordinary citizens can participate in our democratic processes and find ways http://www.winanelection.com/">how to win an election

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