Jump start your Election Planning by coming to any one of the EmpowerLA Election Workshops throughout Los Angeles. 

• You'll hear an overview of the election dates and timelines.
• You'll learn how the 2016 Elections Team will work with you.
• You'll have the opportunity to participate in an informative Q/A session to make this upcoming Elections process a success!

The Elections Team has created a cheat-sheet for your Election Committee to use as a guide for planning. 

1. Attend one of EmpowerLA's Elections Workshops: www.empowerla.org/tux-boot-camp
2. Create your Neighborhood Council's Election Committee.
   1. That consists of the Election Chair, Outreach Chair, and several stakeholders/committee members.
   2. Objective: To carry out a strategic plan to bring awareness of candidate registration, Neighborhood Council purpose/importance, and election date.
   3. Set up a monthly meeting (or two) to plan and execute your election outreach.
3. Create a budget. Here are the basics needed to get your outreach going:
   1. Flyers or handout postcards on several key events/dates: 1) Become a candidate 2) Register to vote online (only 35 Neighborhood Councils have this option in addition to their polling location) 3) Attend the Candidate Forum 4) Attend the Community Rally (plan this during candidate registration period) 5) Get the vote out (pre-election day/night). 
   2. Direct mail piece, VERY IMPORTANT to do at least one mailer. Best strategy to include all candidates, the election date, how to register to vote online (if that is your Neighborhood Council), highlight what a Neighborhood Council does, and why it's important to vote for your community representative/leader. 
   3. Vinyl banner on Election - use at board meetings and outreach events.
   4. Candidate Forum Event - date, location, promotional items, collateral material, and light food (budget). 
4. Rally to Get People Excited about Community Engagement Event - location, theme, partnerships with other community groups, activities (movie, Carnival, Music, Food trucks), promotional items, collateral material, etc.
5. Election Day/Night Event - make this something your community and its partners can celebrate. You can host a themed event that happens to have your election taking place at the same time.
6. Post blog articles, newspaper articles, school papers, and calendar of events on various sites (Patch, Nextdoor, ExperienceLA.org, local sites/publications, etc.). 
7. You may want to buy ad space in local magazines or newspapers
8. You may find that bundling your budget with other Neighborhood Councils in your region will give you a better price.
9. Calendar Planning - When planning events and outreach, start your planning at least 3 months before the event/promotion. 
10. Social Media - Create a Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook page for your Neighborhood Council. Use "Events" tab of Facebook for all your key dates.
11. Website - EmpowerLA will provide you a series of icons for you to include on your home page. Each clickable icon will be a call-to-action oriented for (1) Become a Candidate (2) Register to Vote Online (3) Get the Vote Out. Icons 1 & 2 will be directed to the proper EmpowerLA or City Clerk page for the stakeholder to take action. The 3rd icon would be for your promotion on the ELECTION day/time and event.
12. E-Newsletter - Plan on several newsletters to let your stakeholders know about your events and elections. Again, consider the timing of the election process.

Visit these helpful links for you to get key dates for YOUR election. With this information, you can start promoting the general election information in a flyer and use at board meetings and outreach events.

Regional Timeline: 

Election Regions: 

Citywide Map of Regions:

Election Schedule: