WHY TALK ABOUT VOTING ON SHABBAT? Both Shabbat dinner and voting elevate a sense of belonging, a reminder that we are all stakeholders in our community, whether the Jewish community we gather at the Shabbat dinner table, or the civil community we support at the polls. In fact, creating and supporting government one of the few requirements that halacha, Jewish law, applies to everyone, Jewish or not: "All of humanity is required to observe seven mitzvot, first among them establishing courts of justice" (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 56a).
HOW TO BRING BALLOT PARTY TO YOUR SHABBAT TABLE: ●
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Just like you put out “the goods” for the Shabbat table (think candles, challah, and a kiddush cup) you can inspire your guests to get everything ready for the vote with a checklist for election day. “The mise en place of voting” can include things like gov’t issued photo ID, map of local polls, and a calendar reminder! Prepare your guests to get involved by letting them know ahead of time, in your invitation, to bring a smart phone, laptop, or tablet to research their Ballots. Include this along with the menu for the night and any dress code guidelines so people are comfortable and don’t feel left out. Add a poll to your invitation for guests to vote on something about your dinner- theme music, craft cocktail, type of wine they prefer. This will get them in the voting spirit. Go for classic election themed decor with red, white, blue and stars or bring the red, white, and blue to your food! For dessert, serve ice cream and have your guests “vote” on their toppings by properly filling in their “sundae ballot.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT THE BALLOT PARTY HOST TOOLKIT BELOW
Ballot Party Host Toolkit Prepare to Party. Party to Prepare.
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Welcome! BallotReady would like to thank you for hosting a Ballot Party! This kit includes everything you need to help you prepare for and host your event. Inside you’ll find information about inviting guests, guidelines for the events, a sample host script, and printable activity cards and games. BallotReady is also sending you swag for you and your guests in the mail! Our hope is that you and your guests will not only leave your Ballot Party feeling prepared to vote down the ballot but will also have fun doing it. With that in mind, let’s get ready to party! – The BallotReady Team
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Planning Your Party
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Preparing for Your Party You’ve agreed to host a Ballot Party! That’s great. We’re glad you are ready to partake in some civically-minded fun! So, now what? We recommend taking the following steps to ensure your party is ready to go: 1.
Choose a theme and type of party. Whether you are an individual or organization, having a clear party direction will help get your guests excited and invested. Some of our hosts choose to go formal (like a cocktail party) and some choose do keep it casual (like a potluck or BBQ). It really just depends on what works best for you!
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Starting inviting your guests! Whether your party is public or private, start inviting guests early and often. We make it easy by providing a ready-to-use email blast, social media post, and graphics you can send out (see next pages). We also recommend utilizing social media by creating a Facebook event and promoting your party on Instagram and Twitter, especially if it’s a public event. If you are struggling to invite guests, try crafting a personal message that conveys why voting informed is important to you. Write about the role that local elected officials play in your community, or talk about a candidate that you are excited to vote for after learning more about them. Above all, make sure they know the conversation will be fun, civil, and productive!
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Get prepared by making sure you know how to use the BallotReady tools. Watch the host training videos we’ll be posting near the end of September, and review the BallotReady tools yourself before your party begins! This will allow you to help your guests and make sure everyone makes the most of their experience.
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Choosing an Itinerary The format you choose for your event will impact the experience your guests have while researching and discussing their ballots, and it will also impact the kind of preparation you do in order to host the event. When thinking about the itinerary for your party, consider your guests, venue, and personal comfort level in order to choose a format that’s best for your event. When you envision your event, is it more party or conversation? Do you want to facilitate the conversation with your crowd or let them discuss voter information amongst themselves? Considering a format will help you clearly message your event and customize your itinerary for the evening. If you need help getting started, we’ve provided three sample itineraries on the following pages. Each provides a variation of a BallotReady that has guests and hosts interacting in different types of discussion. Feel free to choose one of these itineraries and follow it exactly or customize and make one your own.
with Itinerary 1: No Facilitation, Individual Discussion: Summary: At a Ballot Party with no facilitation, guests will spend most of their time independently using BallotReady’s tools to research their ballots and discuss races and referendums with one another. As a host, you will need to do important pre-work to ensure your guests have all the resources they need to access their voter guides and navigate their ballot throughout the evening. Before your Ballot Party: Because your guests will be researching and discussing their ballots independently, you want to be prepared to answer any questions they have throughout the evening and make sure they are set up to use BallotReady successfully. To do this, we recommend the following: ● Spend time before the event using BallotReady so you are familiar with the tools. ● Make sure you have resources (activity cards, user one pager, etc) ready and dispersed throughout the venue to help your guests navigate their voter guides independently. ● Think through what you will say to guests at the beginning of the event to set clear expectations for the evening. Guests should feel confident and comfortable with the task of researching and discussing their ballots once you are finished. During your Ballot Party: ● 10 minutes: Once guests have arrived, begin the event by welcoming everyone and setting the purpose for all attendees. Focus on the importance of getting informed to vote, and encourage them to use the resources you’ve provided around the venue to start discussions with one another about their ballots! ● 10 minutes: Next make sure guests can access their voter guides. Give them a few minutes to orient themselves to the tools and answer any questions. ● 60 minutes (or more:) Guests should begin using the resources you’ve provided around the venue to research and start conversations about their ballots with one another. As a host, you should take part in the fun and participate in these conversations. Make sure you circulate around the room to check in with your crowd and answer any questions they might have. ● Once an hour (or so): Consider checking in with the entire room to break up the evening a bit. You could start a big group discussion on an certain race or introduce a party game (like voting-themed trivia or a competition) to keep the energy up and the party moving forward.
with Itinerary 2: Small Group Discussion: Summary: At a Ballot Party with small group discussion, guests will research and discuss their ballots in small groups so that everyone can contribute to conversation and groups can discuss as many races as possible. As a host, you will need to do important pre-work to ensure your guests have all the information they need to access their voter guides and are clear on guidelines for productive, civically-minded discussion. Before your Ballot Party: For small group discussions, we recommend that you have one facilitator present per small group. Each facilitator should be you want to be prepared to enforce discussion guidelines and answer any questions that participants have throughout the evening. To do this, we recommend each facilitator do the following: ● Spend time before the event using BallotReady so you are familiar with the tools. ● Determine how guests will be divided into small groups. We recommend either having individuals sit randomly or geographic location so they are discussing similar ballots. ● Think through what you will say to guests at the beginning of the event to set clear expectations for the evening. Guests should feel confident and comfortable with the task of researching and discussing their ballots once you are finished. During your Ballot Party: ● 10 minutes: At the beginning of your event, set a tone for open dialogue by reviewing our Ballot Party guidelines for conversation with your guests. ● 10 minutes: Start the discussion by making sure every guests can access their voter guide. Give guests a few minutes to orient themselves to the tool, and then present a starting point for discussion. We recommend either having groups work through the whole ballot or split up races to discuss later with the entire group. ● 60 minutes (or more): Begin small group discussions. Allow your guests to lead the conversation, but be present and monitor adherence to the discussion guidelines. It is your role to keep the conversation productive, welcoming, and focused on gathering voter information, not starting politically-motivated debates. Make sure you are aware of how much all guests are contributing to the discussion including yourself. Try to invite all guests to contribute throughout the conversation. ● Last 30 minutes: Have small groups come together to share out their discussions with the whole group. Decide if you will end the ballot party at a set time or let it end organically. Encourage guests to continue their discussions and finish researching their ballots before they go vote.
with Option 3: Facilitated Whole Group Discussion: Summary: At a facilitated whole group discussion, guests will be led through a discussion about their ballots by a single facilitator. This event format is great for educational settings and groups that will have fairly similar ballots. Facilitated discussion will allow hosts to ensure guests cover a variety of topics or elections on their ballots and make the most of their time together. Facilitators need to be prepared in advance. Before your Ballot Party: Consider how you want to lead your guests through their voter guides. Look through your own ballot in advance and decide what you intend to focus on. The more you prepare as a facilitator, the better this conversation will go. You need to be prepared to enforce discussion guidelines and answer any questions that participants have throughout the evening. To do this, we recommend each facilitator do the following: ● Spend time before the event using BallotReady so you are familiar with the tools. ● Determine how you will lead guests through discussion. We recommend either working your way through the entire ballot or choosing key federal, state, or local races on which to focus. ● Think through what you will say to guests at the beginning of the event to set clear expectations for the evening. Guests should feel confident and comfortable with the task of researching and discussing their ballots once you are finished. During your Ballot Party: ● 10 minutes: At the beginning of your event, set a tone for open dialogue by reviewing our Ballot Party guidelines for conversation with your guests. ● 10 minutes: Start the discussion by making sure every guests can access their voter guide. Give guests a few minutes to orient themselves to the tool, and then present a starting point for discussion. We recommend either working through the whole ballot or focusing on specific races. ● 60 minutes (or more): Begin whole group discussion. Allow your guests to lead the conversation, but be present and monitor adherence to the discussion guidelines. It is your role to keep the conversation productive, welcoming, and focused on gathering voter information, not starting politically-motivated debates. Make sure you are aware of how much all guests are contributing to the discussion including yourself. Try to invite all guests to contribute throughout the conversation. ● End of Discussion: Decide if you will end the ballot party at a set time or let it end organically. Encourage guests to continue their discussions and finish researching their ballots before they go vote.
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Recruiting Guests: Sample Email Blast Choose the option below that best fits your ballot party. Feel free to copy and paste the following email message to send out to your guests, or customize it to make it more your own: Private Ballot Parties (for hosts inviting friends, families, and neighbors): While preparing to vote this November, I realized how many candidates will be on my ballot that I don’t know enough about. I want to make sure I’m voting informed, and I know many of you do too, so I’ve decided to throw a ballot party! These events allow family, friends, and neighbors to look over their ballots and get prepared to vote together. We’ll use a nonpartisan voter guide called BallotReady to look at our ballots; all you need to bring is a smartphone, tablet, or laptop! I’ll provide the food, fun, and information about how to use the voter guide. I hope you’ll be able to join in on the fun so we can party and prepare to vote together!
Public Ballot Parties (for hosts inviting the community-at-large): Voting is important. Knowing who you’re voting for is just as important, so we’re throwing a ballot party! These events give the community a chance to research our ballots, engage in some civic discussion, and get informed to vote in a fun setting. We’ll use a nonpartisan voter guide called BallotReady to look at our ballots; all you need to bring is a smartphone or internet-ready device! We’ll provide the food, fun, and information about how to use the voter guide. Join in on the fun so we can party and prepare to vote together!
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Using Social Media Before Your Party Use your social media platforms to invite and drive guests to your party. Create a Facebook event, and use the prompts below to post about and drive interest in your party: Facebook: I’m hosting a Ballot Party this October, and you’re invited! We’ll eat, drink, and use nonpartisan voter guides by @BallotReady to preview our ballots and get ready to vote informed in November. I hope you’ll join me as we party and prepare to vote in the Midterms! Twitter: I’m throwing a #BallotParty to make preparing to vote a lot more fun and a lot less intimidating. We’ll eat, drink, and use nonpartisan voter guides by @BallotReady to preview our ballots and get ready to vote informed in November. See you there! #partytoprepare Instagram: It’s party time! The Midterm elections are almost here, so I’m throwing a #BallotParty to help us vote informed with @BallotReady! We’ll eat, drink, and use nonpartisan voter guides to preview our ballots and get ready to vote in November. See you there! #partytoprepare Use our Custom Graphics to Spruce up Your Posts!
Use these Hashtags before and during your Ballot Party! #BallotParty #BallotParty2018 #PrepareToParty #PartyToPrepare #VoteInformed #ImBallotReady #IStudiedForThis #BallotParty18
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During Your Party
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Kicking Off Your Ballot Party As a Ballot Party host, it will be your role to set a tone for the evening. We all want your event to both a fun, festive party and also a setting where guests feel comfortable having a political discussion. So many Americans are wary to engage in these types of conversations in today’s political climate, but you can help to make your guests feel comfortable by starting the party off on the right foot. As you think about kicking off your party, consider the following: ●
Who are your guests? Will they all have the same ballot or different ones? Are they coming from similar or different political backgrounds and knowledge bases?
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What is the tone you want to set for you event? Is is more party, educational event, or something in between?
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How will people engage in conversation? Will they be sitting in small groups, big groups, pairs, or just mingling throughout the event?
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Will everyone have access to a phone or computer to access the BallotReady site?
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How will you explain and show BallotReady’s tools to your guests?
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If you are an organization/business, is there any additional content you want to provide that aligns to your mission?
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If you are an individual, is there a particular issue, election, or question you’d like to start off the conversation?
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Ballot Party Guidelines If you are a part of this exercise then you have already done the hardest part! Committing to voting and doing so informatively is a tremendous challenge. We appreciate your effort to research and vote informed on your entire ballot. In order to assist your conversation we have provided some guidelines for your conversation. Many of your participants may also be new to getting to know all of the candidates up and down the ballot for the first time. In this learning process we encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone, ask questions and learn as much as you can.
Here are our Party Rules: 1)
It’s okay to not know! Unlike most activities, the less you know only means you will get more out of this experience. Chances are you are not the only person in the room who is wondering the same thing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, not know an office or candidate, we are all here to learn together!
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Meet everyone where they are. As mentioned earlier, for many of your party mates, this is their first time researching their ballot as thoroughly as you will be doing today. This is, know that this is a learning process not a competition.
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Challenge the idea, not the person. Politics are hard, right? Understand that it is inevitable to run into some challenges in regards to political stance or ideology. We are all coming from different places that have influenced our political opinions. For the sake of respect and kindness, let’s narrow our disagreements to the idea in question rather than the person.
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Here are our Party Rules (continued):
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Assume good intentions, but own the impact. During your conversations, another partygoer might say something that bothers or offends you. Don’t be afraid to respond in that moment, but also don’t assume malicious intent. Ask questions that help you understand where the statement came from, and see if you can use the moment as a teachable one. If you say something offensive, consider why/how that statement might have hurt others rather than immediately trying to defend yourself.
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Respect each participant’s right to contribute. Try and monitor how much each partygoer is contributing to the conversation. Make sure your voice isn’t the only one heard. Invite others into the conversation, and make sure to be present when listening to others.
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Using Social Media During Your Party We encourage you and your guests to share your Ballot Party on social media! Of course, we ask that you and your guests keep the content positive with good, clean posts about revelry and civic engagement đ&#x;˜‰. Tag BallotReady on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using @BallotReady, and we might even feature your party on our social media channels! Use our Custom Graphics to Spruce up Your Posts!
Use these Hashtags before and during your Ballot Party! #BallotParty #BallotParty2018 #PrepareToParty #PartyToPrepare #VoteInformed #ImBallotReady #IStudiedForThis #BallotParty18
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Ballot Party Resources
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Description of Resources On the following pages, you’ll find the following resources: Scavenger Hunt Activity Cards If you’re looking for ways to make your Ballot Party even more fun and interactive, cut out these Scavenger Hunt Activity Cards and use them with your Ballot Partiers! We suggest placing a few “decks” at strategic locations around the room and inviting your guests to play amongst themselves. Conversation Starter Activity Cards If you’re looking for ways to make your Ballot Party even more fun and interactive, cut out these Conversation Starter Activity Cards and use them with your Ballot Partiers! We suggest placing a few “decks” at strategic locations around the room and inviting your guests to play amongst themselves. One Page User Guide This brief visual guide helps your guests quickly learn how to use BallotReady, making it easy for you to ensure everyone at your Ballot Party is able to use our tools to get informed and make the most of their time together. “Recruit a Business/Organization” PDF Want to recruit someone in your community to host a Ballot Party? This two page PDF (please print front and back) can be shared with any business, community group, or organization to help convince them to host a Ballot Party. This is such a great way to share BallotReady’s tools with your community if you aren’t ready to host a Ballot Party yourself...or if you just want to have more parties in your hometown!
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Scavenger Hunt Activity Cards
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Find a candidate with the best picture.
Find a candidate with an issue stance you find confusing.
Find the candidate with the most endorsements.
Find a candidate with an endorsement you care a lot about.
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Find a candidate with the most interesting professional history.
Find an elected office that you know nothing about.
Find a local elected office that you feel is very impactful.
Find a candidate with the most unusual education.
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Scavenger Hunt!
Find a candidate with the best social media presence.
Find a candidate with whom you agree on almost every issue.
Find a candidate with whom you disagree on almost every issue.
Find a candidate that you know or have met at least once.
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Conversation Starter Activity Cards
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
How do you feel about the candidates for Governor?
How do you feel about the candidates for U.S. Representative?
What is an endorsement that matters to you?
Who is a candidate you are really excited to vote for?
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
What is a local office you feel is important to the community?
What is a local office you feel you don’t know enough about?
How do you feel about incumbency and term limits?
Is there a candidate on your ballot you find concerning?
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
Conversation Starters!
What is an issue that matters to you when choosing a candidate?
Discuss how you feel about the candidates for one state office.
Discuss a time you’ve felt proud of an elected official.
Share the story of a time you met an elected official.
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I’m at a Ballot Party. Now What? How it works:
1 Get Started.
2 Explore your ballot.
3 Make informed choices.
4 Vote!
Go to BallotReady.org and type in your home address.
Dive into the background and opinions of every candidate on your ballot.
Find a reason to vote for every office on the ballot, and save your choices as you go.
Breeze through the ballot box by bringing BallotReady to the polls.
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This October, I would love for you to host a Ballot Party and help our community to vote informed. BallotReady is a company that creates free, digital, nonpartisan voter guides that cover every race and referendum on the ballot. They are launching voter guides for all 50 states on October 1st. Ballot Parties make preparing to vote even more fun! You provide the venue and accommodations, and BallotReady will provide the resources you need to make sure your party-goers can get informed about their individual ballots. Why host? Ballot Parties are a great opportunity for your organization to draw people in with powerful tools and materials for civic engagement. Ballot Parties are nonpartisan, so all are welcome! Ready to sign up? Go to ballotparty.ballotready.org and click on the “Host a Party� icon. Want more information? Go to ballotparty.ballotready.org or check out the FAQ on the back of this sheet.
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FAQs When is the election, and when are Ballot Parties happening? The midterm election is November 6th, 2018. Ballot Parties should happen anytime between October 1st and Election Day. What are the requirements to host? At a minimum, you need some people (...like, at least 2). Outside of that, anyone can host. Organizations, clubs, neighborhood groups, bars, restaurants, anyone! Are Ballot Parties nonpartisan? Yes, BallotReady.org features a free, nonpartisan voter guide to every race and every referendum. Guests of all political persuasions are welcome. Who is BallotReady? BallotReady creates nonpartisan digital voter guides for the entire country. We are on a mission to help every American enter the voting booth prepared to vote on their entire ballot. At BallotReady, we believe local elections shape American life just as much as the races at the top of the ballot. Local elections deserve our time and energy, but researching an entire ballot is difficult and time-intensive. Using our comprehensive voter guides, voters around the country can now see their entire ballots, view carefully sourced information about candidates and ballot initiatives, and share their completed ballots with their friends and networks. Visit BallotReady.org to learn more!
To learn more and sign up to host, visit ballotparty.ballotready.org or email partnerships@ballotparty.org.
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Need more support for your Ballot Party? Contact our Director of Voter Outreach at partnerships@ballotready.org.