ICE Your Campaign to Persuade Voters

The premise is that if voters critically assess these three elements, they will have the input needed to make informed decisions about candidates. Read the article here to see that our collective dissatisfaction with Barack Obama could have easily been predicted. (Well, didn't most conservatives know that this administration was bound to be a train wreck? Yes, I think we did!)

So, if ICE is a useful way for voters to assess candidates' fitness for office, doesn't it make sense that candidates should present themselves in this way? When you are producing content for your website, email newsletters, brochures, Facebook or any other media, you should always be building your credibility as the best person for the given elected office. Consider how ICE might help keep your messaging focused.

Ideology (I): What are the principles in which you believe that will guide your decision making as an elected official? Are you intent on reducing government interference in our lives? Think that the tax code has become too onerous and overbearing? Whatever your core ideology includes, keep to a few, easy to understand principles and consistently repeat the themes in all of your communications. Provide some specific recommendations for implementing your ideology. Provide voters with confidence in your commitment to these ideas and your ability to implement them.

Character (C): Voters want to know that their candidates are solid citizens, that they value integrity and hard work. To some degree, those with whom you associate will influence voters' assessment. (Didn't we know that Obama's relationships with Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright were red flags? Yes, most of us did!) One way to demonstrate character is through the strength of your endorsements. While quantity is nice, quality counts!

Experience (E): Voters must be confident that you have the skills to effectively perform the duties of the office you seek. This requires some analysis on your part - what are the most important skills you'll need to be effective? If you're running for Insurance Commissioner or State Treasurer or Congress, different skills are required. Put some serious thought into what those skills are and what you've accomplished in the past that successfully demonstrated those skills. Obama may have been successful getting elected with a very thin resume, but now that voters are seeing the end of that movie, expect future standards to be higher. Be prepared to demonstrate that, once elected, you have what it takes to get the job done.

When you're deciding what to say to voters, stay focused and remember to ICE it!