When planning a protest, communications and logistics are your keys to success. If possible, early in your planning, recruit a Communications Coordinator and a Logistics Coordinator. Resource support and activist volunteers from Election Reform organizations in your state or locale (se sidebar links. Don't hesitate to contact national organizations. The word-of-mouth won't hurt, you may get some good advise, and you may be able to recruit virtual volunteer to help you in your planning and spreading the word. Email myself (kiphumphrey@51capitalmarch.com). I will help as I can.
Select Your Target
Sites for a protest must be on public property unless you have written permission to hold your event from the property owner. You can be arrested on any private property. Potential protest sites include:
Outside State, County, City, Town, or Federal buildings
State and County election commission offices
Town Halls, City Halls, State Capitols
National Media offices and studios (only on nearby public owned and maintained sidewalks, parks, and open spaces)
Do not protest outside local media (unless Fox or Sinclair affiliated). Most local media will gladly cover your protest if you include them and don't target them.
If you have a guest speaker, a PA system, or plan to plug something in get a permit.
Schedule Your Protest
Select a date and time when most people in the area can attend:
Lunch hour in a major metropolitan downtown
Saturday or Sunday (beware of Sundays because of religious objections)
If picketing offices, the hour employees arrive and depart provides high visibility for your target audience: weekday mornings, lunch hour, quitin' time.
Give yourself enough lead time before the event to sufficiently publicize and prepare your event (large cities take more time to get the word out than do small towns)
Once, announced, don't change the place, date, or time.
Plan Your Protest
Good planning makes a big difference (something we confirmed with the 12/12 protests). A Logistics Coordinator can really help. Here's a partial protest planning checklist:
Arrange for a permit (if needed) immediately. Many jurisdictions require a two-week notice or longer
Invite speakers early (local/national politicians, radio and television personalities, political activists, celebraties, and writers). If possible, arrange to meet your event speakers personally beforehand.
Rent or find someone to volunteer the use of a PA system (make sure you have access to electricity on site)
Notify the police and fire departments nearest your site the week prior to your event
Plan for set up, tear down, and clean up
Purchase protest gear from our online Protest Store in time to receive your stuff before the protest. Consider buying in bulk "I Showed Up" buttons (100 counts are available at our cost in the Protest Store). Hand them out to protesters who show up.
Put together a Press Kit for the day of the event. Include:
A protest press release detailing the facts of the protest and describing the protest's purpose and goals
A list of guest speakers with short biographies of each
A list of online links providing background information on election reform, research and evidence of election irregularities, the dangers of digital voting systems, etc.
A list of upcoming election integrity local and national events. Don't forget any follow-on meetups or events you have planned.
Any protest contact information for follow-up and interviews
Plan for press interviews
during and immediately after your protest. Designate who will be interviewed and what message will be delivered. During the protest, seek out the press and don't let them get away without an interview. Remember to "stay on message" when talking to the press.
Plan a post-protest "What's Next" meeting within a few days of your event at a meeting hall, civic center, or church
Publicize Your Protest
Communicating your protest is vital. Define who can get to your event. Research how to get to them. A Communications Coordinator comes in handy for managing your event communications. Here is a partial checklist:
Email people and organizations you know or who know you. Ask them to spread the word.
Compose and release a press release to all local media announcing your protest. Use democraticunderground.com - Local Media Blaster to email your local news outlets (most but not all are listed)
Post electronic protest announcements and requests for volunteers on community message boards, blogs, and usergroup forums
Make, print and distribute flyers announcing your protest (download our flyer template and modify it to suit your event). Put flyers only in permitted locations and avoid windshield stuffing (it pollutes and annoys people). Seek business's permission before posting any flyers in or on their premises.
Contact local political and activist organizations
Notify union halls, civic organizations, and college campus student groups and organizations
Post-Protest Planning
Don't leave your protesters hanging. Announce at your protest things people can do after the event . Announce and hold a post-protest "What's Next" meeting within a few days of your event at a meeting hall, civic center, or church. Communicate other activities happening elsewhere and the need for continued action and involvement. Remind everyone to spread the word about the state of our elections and the urgent need for effective reform.
Citizen protests seeking a redress of grievances from their government are constitutionally guaranteed provided any assembly is peaceful and law-abiding. Permits are not required.
However, public rallies involving PA systems, invited guest speakers, use of electic power, and the need to prepare a public space do require a permit. Without a permit, property can be confiscated and people arrested. So, if you plan music, speakers, and supporting equipment, get a permit. Remember, many jurisdictions require a two-week lead time or more for the issuance of public site use or street march permits.
Consider composing a local or state petition calling for effective election reform (HAND-COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS), the "NO CONFIDENCE" RESOLUTION", or the VOTER'S BILL OF RIGHTS Address the petition to your State Representatives and State Senators. Some other possible petition demands are:
Begin an immediate investigation into election integrity and the reliability and transparency of voting systems used in the state
Enact legislation implementing a state Voter's Bill of Rights to ensure every vote counts and every vote is counted accurately
Enact legislation banning all digital voting machines, voting systems, vote tabulators, that perform hidden counting or use trade-secret software, leaving them susceptible to vote manipulation and fraud
Before distributing the Petition to State Representatives, provide a copy of the petition document to the Secretary of State. Seek out any State Representatives you think may be supportive of the petition and ask them to accampany you in delivering it to other House and Senate members. If you have a sypathetic federal elected representative, ask them to endorse the petition before delivering it. Be sure you have a designated person to hand carry the signed document before collecting signatures.
Remember, the local press will likely want to cover your protest because, at heart, most local reporters think there is a story to tell about our election systems not adequately covered, particularly not covered by the national press. They often are only needing an excuse to cover election integrity issues. Conversely, don't waste a lot of time running after national media. I have reports of national producers being threatened with termination if they cover electionn irregularity stories.
Well ahead of your protest, visit your local newspaper and ask to speak to the local or state news desk editor. Also, try to personally visit the local television stations and ask to speak to a reporter or news producer. If you have a progressive talk radio station, do likewise (See why a Communications Coordinator would come in handy?).
For those of you planning a media blitz for any protest or activity, be advised:
Do not send attachments. Most media outlets will refuse emails with any attachments
Place all text in the body of the email, not exceeding 500 words. Many media outlets refuse emails in excess of 500 words.
Do not send repeated emails with highly repetitious text or the same subject line. Most news outlets filter email for repetitious content or similar Subject Line text. If you plan an email blitz of local media, change the content of multiple emails going to one address by at least 40%. Otherwise, you are likely to just fill up a spam reject folders.
When emailing newspapers, be cognizant of deadlines. Sunday features deadlines (Living Section, Sunday magazine, etc.) usually occur on Thursday.
Email to a few email addresses (usually less than 50) at a time to avoid trouble with your ISP
"Make a Sign and Show Up" worked for us and will work for you in your pre-protest promotion. For the less artistically inclined, a selection of protest gear (posters, sweatshirts, t-shirts, buttons, and more) are available for sale in our online Protest Store. Purchases of our protest gear help us to continue our efforts.
HOME
