Your Campaign’s Final Week: A Simple GOTV Checklist
The final week of your campaign isn't the time to reinvent your strategy — it's time to turn the work you've already done into votes.
The final week of a campaign can feel completely bananas.
You're tired. Your volunteers are tired. Your inbox is chaos. And suddenly everyone wants to know what the plan is for Election Day.
Take a breath.
Your campaign has spent weeks or months introducing you to voters, building relationships, and earning support.
Now it's time to follow up with those supporters and make sure they have everything they need to vote.
Use this checklist to get organized.
1. Make Sure Your Supporters Know How to Vote
Don't assume people know the details.
Make sure your communications clearly explain:
When people can vote.
Where they can vote.
Whether advance voting is available.
What identification voters need.
Where voters can find official election information.
Keep a link to your municipality's official election information handy so you can easily direct voters to the correct source.
2. Follow Up With Your Supporters
Now is the time to reconnect with people who have already told you they support your campaign.
A simple message can be enough:
“Election Day is coming! Do you have a plan to vote?”
You're not trying to convince them all over again.
You're reminding them to follow through.
3. Give Your Volunteers Specific Jobs
Don't send your volunteers into the final week with: “Let me know if you can help!”
Give people something specific to do.
For example:
Make 20 reminder calls.
Knock on a specific group of doors.
Deliver campaign materials.
Send voting reminders.
Help staff an event.
Make scheduled social media posts.
Help organize Election Day volunteers.
Specific jobs are much easier to say yes to—and much easier to get done.
4. Keep Your Messaging Simple
Your supporters don't need a 900-word campaign manifesto in the final days.
They need to know:
Who are you?
Why are you running?
How can they vote?
When and where can they vote?
Keep your final-week communications clear, useful, and easy to act on.
5. Prepare Your Election Day Team
Don't wait until Election Day morning to figure out who's doing what.
Before the final week is over, make sure your campaign knows:
Who is coordinating volunteers.
Who is responsible for communications.
Who is handling questions from supporters.
Who is managing your campaign's voter-contact efforts.
Who is responsible for social media.
How your team will communicate throughout the day.
What volunteers should do if they have a question or problem.
You don't need a complicated system. You need everyone to know their job.
6. Keep Going Until the Polls Close
One of the hardest parts of campaigning is that you don't know the outcome until the votes are counted.
So don't mentally check out early.
Keep talking to voters.
Keep thanking supporters.
Keep reminding people to vote.
Keep your volunteers engaged.
And keep showing up.
