How to Run a Political Rally

If you’re excited about a candidate, share that enthusiasm with your community. Run a political rally covered by the media to help build the kind of exposure and momentum your candidate needs to win. These step-by-step guidelines can help ensure your success.

Instructions

Preparation for Your Political Rally

1. Contact your candidate’s campaign office in your state. Ask what, if any, political rallies are planned in your area in the weeks ahead. If there is a rally already planned, get contact information so you can volunteer to get involved, giving you invaluable experience in watching someone else run a political rally. It’s also a great opportunity to make connections with those who may want to help with yours.

2. Ask your candidate’s campaign office for any advice, resources and materials they can provide you with, such as rally signs and a list of campaign volunteers in your area who may want to participate.

3. Contact every political organization in your area that would likely support your candidate, including those on college campuses. Tell them about the rally, asking their members to attend and for a representative to speak on behalf of your candidate.

4. Contact any local celebrities, sports figures, politicians, business leaders or other prominent community members who would likely support your candidate. Again, ask them to attend the rally and if they’d like to speak on your candidate’s behalf.

5. Plan your political rally several weeks apart from any others planned in your area. The last thing you want is low turnout simply because supporters just went to a rally for your candidate last week.

6. Choose a location for your rally. Contact your local police department for information on what, if any, permits are needed for you to run a political rally in the public place of your choice.

7. Invite your candidate to speak at your rally. Be sure to know all the details in terms of where it will be and the people and organizations you expect to be represented there. Chances are her schedule is busy. If she cannot make your preferred date, have two or three back-up suggestions. Of course, the most successful political rally is one in which your candidate is there, so if possible, be open to whatever date she’s available.

8. Send a press release to your local media outlets, inviting radio, television and print journalists to the rally.

9. Ask all of the volunteers, speakers and participants involved with the rally to spread the word--to their family, their friends, their colleagues and any other organizations they may be involved with.

10. Hit the streets with your volunteers to spread the word. Hand out flyers, hang up posters and talk to the people--on college campuses, in busy downtown areas and at events or festivals.

11. Make sure you have plenty of rally signs for participants, preferably provided by the candidate’s campaign office.

12. Rent or borrow a sound system for the event.

The Day of Your Political Rally

1. Call in to radio stations the day of the event. You can invite listeners to the rally and they just might play it on the air.

2. Welcome participants to the rally. Introduce yourself and explain why you support this candidate and what inspired you to organize this event. If you’ve decided on someone else to deliver the welcome message and speaker introductions, ask them to do the same.

3. In between speeches, introduce the next speaker. Keep it short to give them more time to talk.

4. After all of your speakers have talked, close the event by telling everyone there what the next plan of action should be--whether it’s volunteering on the campaign or going to the polls next week.

Tips & Warnings

• • To find the contact information for your candidate’s local campaign office, simply search online, for example: “Jane Doe campaign office Arizona.”

• • There are no rules as to how long your political rally must be, but two hours seems an ideal amount of time.

• • Tell each of your speakers how long you’d like them to talk. It will depend on how many you have scheduled, though you probably don’t want anyone going over five or ten minutes.

• • If your candidate is able to attend your rally, be sure both of you understand how long he plans to speak and schedule the rest of your speakers accordingly.

• • Always schedule your candidate to speak last.

• • Be prepared to answer questions from the media.

• • After the rally, write letters to the editors of your local papers thanking the community for coming out in such strong support of your candidate.