Chesapeake developed a multifaceted 30-month strategy to generate knowledge about the benefits of Charter and encourage residents to vote for Charter form of government for Frederick County. Through an election-year campaign effort combining grassroots outreach, candidate education and get-out-the-vote initiatives, Chesapeake was instrumental in achieving the first objective in November 2010: electing pro-Charter candidates to the Board of County Commissioners. 

 

In the next phase, Chesapeake worked with the newly appointed Charter Writing Board to conduct outreach in the community, coordinating scores of meetings around the county. Once the proposed Charter was secured as a ballot question in the upcoming election, Chesapeake organized two groups. A broad-based 25-member Charter Education Coalition worked to lay a foundation of public understanding. The Charter YES! campaign committee encouraged residents to vote for Charter. Each group included a broad range of Charter supporters including Republicans, Democrats, farmers, teachers, non-profits, the public safety community, and business leaders.

 

Leading up to Election Day, Chesapeake executed a comprehensive get-out-the-vote campaign featuring a combination tools including canvassing, direct mail, phone-banking, social media and poll coverage.