What Makes a Successful Ballot Proposal
In the latest episode of Limelight, a product of the Michigan Municipal League’s We Love Where You Live podcast, Membership Engagement Specialist Emily Kieliszewski interviewed Matt Resch, founder of Lansing-based communications, public relations, and issue management firm Resch Strategies. 
Resch discussed the mechanics of managing and executing successful ballot proposals in Michigan, which are lessons most units of government can use to improve programs and services in their own backyards.
A ballot initiative is a critical tool cities and villages across Michigan can use to raise revenue for local priorities, especially when other funding sources are not readily available. Last year, Michigan voters chose to approve about 89 percent of local ballot proposals, and their collective successes on the local level all stemmed from an ability to convey strong messaging to active and engaged voters.
Resch said when municipalities are deciding to put an initiative that requires new revenues on the local ballot, they must work in advance to first soften the ground with community members who can make or break a proposal.
“One of the things I would always tell (a city official) who is looking to pass or put something on the ballot is to put a premium on research,” Resch said. “Knowing the variables that might impact your outcome at the ballot box helps to ensure a (successful electoral) outcome.”
Resch gave the example of his firm commissioning a community poll early in the planning process and finding the concept was unpopular among voters. An initial investment in research helped the local government decide the timing wasn’t right to ask its community for new revenues, and it instead worked to educate citizens about the need for additional services before asking for voter support.
Another crucial area for early research is understanding the voter history of your community. Knowing how citizens voted in the past – and what issues they have historically supported – can help tailor a ballot proposal to achieve positive results and avoid confusion.
Once the landscape of your community’s likely electorate is understood, elected officials can spend time working on the right messaging and developing strong social media presence that focuses on targeting voters who are interested in the established priority.
Another key component of a successful ballot initiative is the involvement of critical supporters who can become ambassadors for a city’s electoral effort. Resch said recent efforts by the Lansing School District to successfully pass a costly ballot proposal was made successful thanks to citizen engagement and building community-based committees that helped educate voters on ballot initiative facts.
“They built a community of prominent business leaders who are supportive of the schools,” Resch said. “They made an effort to reach out to community groups, the business community, and to get broad support from many different organizations…”
Cities and villages cannot go at it alone. They need the support of citizens who understand the local government’s vision in order to win a ballot proposal. If a community does its research, invests time and resources, and garners real support and engagement from likely voters, election results can be increasingly positive.