Elections and Activism: Case Studies
A collection of case studies of how activists have intervened in elections collated by The Commons Social Change Library.
Tag
Campaigning – Election_Electorates
Elections and Activism: Campaign Skills
This collection provides how-to guides and resources regarding the skills and tactics you’ll need to reach your goals in election time.
Changemaker Chat with Mike Gecan: Organising in the US
Mike Gecan explains the differences between organising and mobilising and discusses the prospective US 2020 election.
Uncommon victories: Lessons from Warringah and Indi
In the 2019 Australian federal election, two local campaigns stood out. Two Independents, from two very different electorates, made history. We’re referring of course, to Indi in regional Victoria, and Warringah in Sydney.
Tips for Election Recovery
Elections can take a heavy toll campaigners, organisers, and anyone else working and hoping for social and ecological justice. Now is a time for looking after ourselves and each other, to get in good shape for what comes next.
3 Great Resources on Election Campaigning
As Australia heads towards a federal election here are three stories on the Commons to give you food for thought and action. Gather the lessons from the 2016 federal election, the 2018 Queensland election, Bernie Sanders’ tilt at the US presidency, and the struggle for women’s suffrage in 1905!
Listen to Becky Bond on Big Organising
The big organising approach utilised in the Bernie Sanders campaign offers several valuable rules to scale up your efforts, empower members and supporters, and catch the fire of momentum. Hear from Becky Bond, co-author of Rules for Revolutionaries.
‘Tactics for Mobilisers’ A Review of Rules for Revolutionaries
Amanda Tattersall cautions campaigners, organisers and activists to not take Bond & Exley’s rules” as gospel. While the book puts forward valuable insights into the Bernie Sanders campaign the focus is tactics and mobilisation rather than deep organising.
What does it take for everyday people to shift an election?
The story of how GetUp successfully organised in the seat of Bass to remove sitting MP Andrew Nikolic at the 2016 federal election. Lessons include the power of mixing online and offline; the power of mixing local with national; and have the local lead the national.
How Indivisible Helped Paint America Blue
The midterm elections in the US have delivered the House of Representatives to the Democrats. Why did this happen? The nation got organised into opposing Trump. And one of the major forces behind that organisation is Indivisible.
Is personalised political communication manipulative?
“Personalized political communication” refers to when the medium for a message is a person, not media such as television, pamphlets, or billboards. The electoral arms race is seeing a renaissance of PPC and greater engagement of voters in campaigns and the political process.
How Organizations Develop Activists: A book review
Joel Dignam reviews Hahrie Han’s How Organizations Develop Activists. A key finding of Han’s research is that high-engagement chapters practise both organizing and mobilizing. The Voice for Indi campaign is considered as an Australian example of combining these two approaches.