Running a Slate of Candidates Online

A slate website is a way of promoting multiple candidates running for a multi-seat election. The candidates are typically from the same party or align together on major campaign issues. In essence, they become a ‘slate’ of candidates, hoping to win an election as a group.

“A slate is a group of candidates that run in multi-seat or multi-position elections on a common platform.” – Wikipedia

Running slates of political candidates is popular because it allows politicians to reach out to different groups and address their concerns with different policy options.

The positives of running a candidate slate

Slates are often created early in the election process. The formation of slates allows candidates’ to campaign together by sharing a common slogan, campaign materials and promotional efforts. It tells voters that the candidates work well with each other and share common positions on major issues.

A multiple-candidate website can be used as a hub to introduce the candidates and lead voters to related websites and other online material. Rather than three or four websites for each political candidate, there is efficiency in promoting a single website. It can be a focal point for advertising and online fundraising. This tactic often works well for issue-based or grassroot campaigns.

Obviously, it costs less to build a single site than to have each candidate create their own.

Slate websites also work well for local political parties. Parties usually have a general platform, and they promote individual candidates by featuring short biographies and linking out to individual websites, if they have one.

School Board Campaigns: School board races often feature parents running together as a slate. We’ve seen these types of campaigns win by clearly messaging shared values like improving education and advocating for more student resources. By focusing on common goals and leveraging grassroots support, a group campaign tends to be successful at the ballot.

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The negatives of running a candidate slate online

It may be difficult for voters to square the candidate’s differing views on certain issues. This assumes, of course, that the candidates have more than just a simple bio and ‘share’ all the issue pages. In our experience, it’s unlikely that everyone will agree entirely on a single set of issue positions.

Also, if each candidate is fundraising separately, collecting donations through a shared site can be tricky. This leads to a few questions:

Does every candidate have their own fundraising page?
How do you deal with the candidates that have fewer resources to run?
Do donors have to give multiple times if they want to support the entire slate?
What happens when one popular candidate overshadows the others?

On a practical level, it can be difficult to get content or updates on the website. Even a single political organization can have a hard time updating a website. If every candidate requires their approval before changes to the website can be made, nothing will get updated. That’s why in either case, we recommend assigning a web coordinator to handle updates.

Finally, sharing a site limits the freedom of the candidates to each ‘do their own thing’. Even if one or two decide to really work their part of the website, they may end up overshadowing the other candidates who post less material on the site.

Successful Example: In a recent city council race, we built a slate website that helped elect multiple candidates. The group worked cohesively, sharing events, endorsements, and they had a unified platform. They effectively messaged their shared goals while also highlighting individual strengths. This balance allowed voters to see the slate as a collaborative team and trust each member’s abilities.

Expanding Beyond Online Campaigning

Joint Campaign Events

Organize shared events, such as town halls, rallies, or community meetings, to engage voters and present the slate as a united front. These events allow candidates to connect directly with constituents and leverage their collective appeal. For example, hosting a “Meet the Slate” event can draw larger crowds than individual candidate events.

Shared Canvassing and Volunteer Coordination

Pool volunteer resources to expand your door-to-door canvassing and phone banking reach. By coordinating efforts, your slate can maximize voter outreach while saving time and energy. Use centralized tools or coordinators to manage volunteer schedules. Canvassers and callers should also have all the materials they need about individual candidates and the collective slate.

Cross-Promotion and Endorsements

Where they can, candidates should endorse each other during speeches and media appearances. Highlight shared goals and mutual support for policies. For example, a candidate for mayor might endorse the slate’s city council candidates during debates or interviews.

Additional Strategies for Slate Campaigning

Fundraising Beyond Online Donations

Consider hosting joint fundraising events, such as dinners or galas, to raise funds for the slate. Shared events can allow individual candidates to receive donations, even while they benefit from shared exposure. Make sure there are financial agreements ahead of time to prevent tension from those who may individually raise more or less money.

Unified Messaging and Conflict Resolution

As mentioned above, put together core platform points that all candidates agree for cohesive messaging. A slate should speak with one voice. Regular strategy meetings can help resolve disagreements and keep the campaign focused on the main message. If there are problems or conflicts, a campaign manager or mediator can help maintain harmony within the slate and its factions.

Engaging Local Organizations and Coalitions

Community groups, unions, and advocacy organizations can help you build a wider support in the community. These groups can help spread the message and mobilize voters for election day.

The truth is that not everyone will win

Keep in mind that running a slate of candidates does not mean that all or none will win. We’ve seen instances where half the slate has won, and half did not. Similar candidates, similar positions, but some win and some lose.

Particularly in local elections, success often comes down to how well particular a candidate is known and liked (or disliked).

Our Recommendations

Our recommendation is that each candidate should have their own website where they control their own messaging and donor experience. It’s fine if someone want to be part of a separate slate website, but any bio links should point to the candidate’s individual website.

Simply trying to ride the coattails of others is a risky strategy.

Ultimately, a politician wins or loses on his or her own merits. Whether a slate of candidates should combine online efforts or not depends entirely on the circumstances.

If you a single candidate or you are running with others, Online Candidate provides a great political website platform. Full-featured, easy to use, and backed with exclusive campaign resources.