Targeting Voters - Basics

Overview

This page describes how to use the Targeting tools available in webElect to do a basic filter of your voter dataset based on a range of criteria. Once you pull a list of voters, you can then output it in various formats, including into walk-lists for knocking doors, pre-filled petitions for gaining ballot access, mailing labels, and much more. Note that in the video, the process still begins from the old version of the new menu, while the step-by-step instructions start on the new version of the menu. We are in the process of updating the documentation, and the video will be updated soon. 



How-to Video



Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. To start the targeting process, from the new version of the Main Menu select "Targeting" from under the Voter Info tab. The first page you will see here lists all the precincts that comprise your district. If you would like to pull a sub-set of your district, either select the individual precinct(s) or choose from the different region options on the left. If you want to pull from your entire district, you don't need to select anything here. Next, select "Next Page (Voter Criteria)" in the top left. 
  2. On the Voter Criteria page, use the list of parameters to target groups of voters. You can target by age, race, gender, registration date, party, voting history, voter score, and method of voting. Note: You do not need to select any value in a section if you want to include all the values for that section. For example, if you want all ages, you do not need to specify age. Just leave it blank.
  3. Once you have entered all necessary values, click "Next Page" in the top right.
  4. On the Group Criteria page, select to include or exclude any members/households that belong to one or more of your groups. Note that this page is populated by information that you collect and import to webElect, so if you are just beginning or have not collected any data yet, then you will not need to select anything here. The "Shared Groups" tab at the top is the Premium Tags data, and will only be available if you have purchased the add-on. Once you have made any relevant selections, choose "Next Page (Output Options) in the top right corner. 
  5. You have now finished the target, and can use the output screen to determine how you would like to export/use the universe of voters you have created. 


Age/Race/Gender/Registration Date

  • If you do not specify a value for a section, all values will be included so no need to select all values.
  • Select your desired criteria by entering it in the proper fields or selecting the desired values.
  • To select more than one value, select the first value and then hold down the Ctrl key (PC) or Command key (Mac) and click on the next.
  • To enter a range for Age or Registration date, enter the lowest value in the first field and the highest value in the second field. For example, to target voters between 18-29, input "18 and older" and "29 and younger".



Party/Voting History

  • Check the box for the party/parties and election(s) you want to target (for example, selecting the Republican 16 PPP will target all Republicans who cast a ballot in the March 15, 2016 Presidential Preference Primary)
  • Select all voters in a party by checking the corresponding box or check "Add New" to include all voters who registered after the last election
  • Change the voting history requirements by using the drop down menu to the right of the election check boxes. Preset on "Any 1+" (read as "1 or more"), this value describes how many of the checked elections a voter must have cast a ballot in to be pulled for your list. (Example: checking the 2014 GEN/PRI and the 2012 GEN/PRI elections and setting it to "Any 3+" pulls individuals who voted in 3 or more out of the last 4 elections, a common "Supervoter" description.)
  • To look at elections further in the past, change the Party/Voting History drop down menu from "EZ Events" to "Events"
  • To target by voter score rather than just voting history, change the Party/Voting History drop down menu from "EZ Events" to "Scores" or "Adv Scores" (For information on voter scores, click here.)
  • To target those who voted Absentee and/or Early in a specific election, select the election and then check the box(es) under "Only include for checked events:"



Household Party Registration Count

Use this section to filter based on the total count of registered voters in a house by party. For instance, perhaps you would like to target Non-Republican/Non-Democrat registered voters who live at a house with at least 1 registered Republican.

  • Select All other registered
  • Specify household reg count of 1 or more REPs



Last updated by Alli Bundy, created November 3, 2015