Query-Targeting
WebElect/TermsOfService > WebElect/GettingStarted > WebElect/ViewContactList
See Also Target Voters
The Query/Targeting function allows your campaign to access the voters in the campaign database for a variety of options. By executing a database "query," campaigns can more accurately "target" their actions to specific voters -- hence the name of this function.
The user is given the option to filter the data to be selected based on voter demographic information:
- Race
- Gender
- Age
Additionally, the data can be refined by location, by selected one or more precincts.
This is especially helpful for issues that are specific to a region within the district, or when planning a campaign event in a specific area.
The data can be distilled further based on the voters' history. There are two methods: using the events (elections) and a composite score.
Selecting events to target voters is fairly straight forward. The options are:
- Regular Primary and General elections from 1992 through 2006
- Political Parties
- NOTE: "Other" includes minor parties and voters with no party affiliation.
Once the combinations of individual events are selected, the drop down menu offers additional options, and these can be set differently for each party and for the primaries and generals within each party:
- Any #+ - voters who voted in any # or more of those events selected
- All - voters who voted in all of the events selected
- None - voters who did not vote in any of the events selected
- Only - voters who only voted in those events selected.
Here is an example of why these options are provided:
Let's say a Republican campaign wants to target "soft" Republicans, "soft" Democrats, and "super voting" Independents. "Soft" is generally based on the assumption that a voter who doesn't vote in a primary election but does vote in a general may not be as loyal to the party to which he or she is registered. "Super" is also a designation given to voters who vote regularly in primaries and general elections.
So, the user would select a few (2 or 3 is typical) of the more recent primaries for both Republicans and Democrats and then select None in the drop down box. To ensure these voters do vote, the user would select a few general elections in both Republican and Democratic party rows, and then select Any #+ (1/2 or more of the number of general elections selected). The user would then select a few of the more recent primaries and general elections under the "Other" party row, and "All" in the drop down box.
Once all of the selections are made, and the user selects the Next Page button
the user is then able to filter the query based on information the campaign has previously obtained. See Group Management for information about creating groups for classifying voters and contacts.