From the comfort of your kitchen table, elections might seem clean and simple.  You read, watch, listen to the news and that message (on a good day) is full of carefully crafted sound bites that reduce the nation’s complex problems to an easily understood message clip.

The truth of the matter is a lot different, of course.  Elections in the back end are often chaotic and stressful times for candidates and the party apparatus that helps them succeed.  So if you or your group are interested in making something an issue during this federal election, you are working against the clock.

With this in mind, here are some tips to help you navigate the waters of getting your issue the attention you feel it deserves.

1. Start early…

Realize that the last session of parliament lasted four years.  Political parties start figuring out what the next election will be about pretty soon after the previous election where they go back to the drawing board.  That may involve new leadership or a change in direction for the parties and candidates that don’t succeed, and for the party that wins they have to deal with the next election while also figuring out how to govern.

Suffice it to say, coming to a candidate or a political party for the first time during the official writ period will be regarded as a little too late.  Parties have been honing in on what they want the election to be about for months, if not years.  The probability of altering that plan with your issue is highly unlikely.

2. … but, it’s not too late

While it is ideal for you and your organization to have already started your advocacy campaign some time ago, it’s not too late to start.  The way the election calendar works is that the nature of the game changes the day the Governor-General issues the writs.  We pretty much knew when this would take place already, since Canada moved toward a fixed-date election process several years ago.  Prime Minister Harper decided to go a little early, which is his prerogative, but here we are.

Keep in mind, of course, that you’re expectations need to be adjusted according to the amount of advanced time you’ve given for the various parties to sort out your issues.  Now that an election period is underway, it must be understood that the issues frame is already crowded by party announcements.  A more local centred advocacy campaign is likely a better place to start.

3. Set realistic expectations

If your goal is to make your position or perspective an “election issue,” chances are that you will be disappointed.  Parties have already figured out what they want this election to be about.  They have already put in place the broad strokes of their election platforms, if not the fine details.  So be realistic about what you might achieve in this space.

Awareness might well be one reasonable expectation.  Giving parties and candidates an idea about what you consider worthy of attention might be a sufficient goal. This can be either from a reactive or a proactive perspective. Reactive, in this sense, is about informing politicians about how positively or negatively their policy proposals might affect you or your organization.  Proactive would mean getting ahead of announcements and tell parties and their candidates what might be best for your organization.  The approach may entirely depend on your individual circumstances.

4. Define your role

Some organizations are mostly concerned about relaying information to politicians and their policy advisors that will help their organization.  However, this isn’t the only sort of advocacy your organization can engage in. In fact, it may be necessary for groups to act as a conduit to their members and stakeholders about the affect certain policy proposals will have on the organization and members more generally.  This can be done without your organization giving its members a hint at what its preferences might be or it can be done by explicitly outlining why the organization’s members should align themselves with a particular candidate or party.

Whatever the case, you’ll want to have a very lengthy discussion among the organization’s decision-makers because there are positive and negative risks associated with taking a passive or active role.  You’ll have to weigh the risk of alienating potential members for being assertive in a political space with the potential of a detrimental policy environment that may negatively affect the organization.

5. Keep it simple

If you happen to get a meeting, be focused and regimented.  Candidates and parties want to give you the time required to get an ear, but you should be focused on what you want to talk about.  Keep back stories to a minimum, and only use them if they pertain to the matter at hand.

You will want to go into your meeting with a fairly concise message, and you should leave some information behind.  This should not be a 3o page report.  It should be an executive summary of sorts.

6. Remember that somebody will be elected

We all know that on October 20th, we’ll have newly (re-) elected MPs and a government.  And whoever this new group is, your organization will be working with the crew.  If you’re starting your advocacy during the election, you should have a plan to continue that advocacy after it is finished.

This is important to establish your organization’s credibility – that is, your organization isn’t one simply trying to make noise during an election, but one that wants to positively influence public policy.

Democracy is a funny thing sometimes.  While you may be faced with a favourable parliament, there is that chance you may not be.  Your organization will want to revisit your priorities soon after an election to plan next steps