How to Win Votes in a School Election

Deciding to Run

Decide what position to run for. Student governments have many offices with different responsibilities. Make sure you know what you what the position does, and what you will be able to do once you get there. There are limits to what you can do while in office, so knowing your responsibilities can keep you from making foolish campaign promises that you can't keep.

Decide why you are running. School offices can be a great opportunity to help your fellow students and make your school a better place. Ask yourself why you want the office and why should people vote for you. If you don't have a clear reason for running, you won't have anything good to tell your fellow students. If you are looking for specific areas that you can improve in your school, talk to authority figures, such as your teachers or the principal, current members of the student government, or even your fellow students.

Develop a theme. Come up with one to three big reasons why people should vote for you, memorize them, and be prepared to tell them without hesitating to anyone who asks. People have short attention spans, so while you may have plenty of big ideas for fixing the school, you need to be able to address them quickly. Also, make sure to have a positive attitude towards anyone you may come across! Writing a slogan, a short tagline for your campaign, is a great way to keep your ideas short and simple. It can be serious or funny, but make sure it is about you. It needs to remind people who you are, and that they should vote for you.

Create a network. Talk to your friends about running, make sure they think it is a good idea, and ask for their help in running. You won't be able to do this alone, and it looks good if the people who know you best will vote for you. Your network can also help with more practical activities, such as designing and making posters, passing out buttons, and encouraging their classmates to vote for you. Encourage your network to bring in more friends to help. There is nothing wrong with additional support.

Campaigning for Votes

Create a campaign team.

Tell other students you are running. Talk to friends and other acquaintances. Introduce yourself to people you don't know, and convince them to vote for you. People won't vote for you if they don't know who you are. Not everyone will want to talk to you about the election. That's fine, just let them walk away. You don't want to be pushy or overbearing. Don't get so focused on winning over one small group that you forget larger ones. You probably can't win over everyone, so don't be discouraged by the votes you don't get.

Encourage people to vote. Sometimes the hardest thing is actually getting people to participate in the election. If you are the one pushing them to vote, they may be more likely to vote for you.

Advertise yourself. You and your campaign team should make posters, buttons, t-shirts, and other items that will let other students learn your name even if you don't get to talk to them. Most importantly, your name and the position you are running for should be big and clear on everything you make. These items are great places to use a slogan if you made one. For posters, create and hang as many as possible. Make sure they follow any guidelines the school sets, as you don't want school officials taking them down. Buttons and stickers can go on all kinds of items, and schools may not put the same limits on them as they do on posters. You can also pass them out with other small trinkets, which are great ways to help students remember you.

Be confident, happy, and friendly. To get any votes at all, you need to have the right attitude. Act as if you believe you will win, and that the school will be a better place with you in office. Be kind to all students not only those who have power or are popular. Show responsibility in class. Students look up to other students that participate in class and answer questions.

Prepare a speech. Your school may give you the opportunity to address your fellow students at some point before the election. If so, be ready with a short speech that focuses on your campaign themes, and reminds people why they should vote for you. Stay within the time limits the school gives you. You want to get as many of your ideas out there as you can, but people have short attention spans, and nobody will listen if you talk too long. It is a good idea to practice your speech before giving it. Ask your friends if they will listen to you read it out loud. This can help give you the confidence to speak in front of a large group and provide useful feedback. Join an after school club or oral communications class to refine your public speaking skills.