In 2023, Javelina passed the two biggest school district bonds in Arizona history, one of them in a district that hadn’t passed a bond or override in 19 years. In 2024, Javelina supported public schools in Gilbert, AZ and helped win critically needed funding. In a ruby-red district that Donald Trump won by 16 points and even Senate candidate Kari Lake won comfortably, the override passed by a 6-point margin.
As with every campaign, there’s not just one magic bullet that made the difference; several things had to line up. Here is how Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) withstood a conservative turnout wave that tanked most other bonds and overrides.
1. Fired-Up Parents
You’d think that having lost a bond and override the year before, GPS supporters would have been discouraged. The opposite was true. Determined not to lose again, many volunteers stepped into leadership for key roles on the campaign while others enabled a powerful field program, including door-knocking, sign installation, events, car painting, etc. Parents, educators, and business leaders in the community contributed financially and in other ways that were as inspiring as they were unprecedented.
2. Sophisticated Targeting
Never was the need for smart targeting greater than in November of 2024. Campaigns to support school measures often struggle to fully fund a persuasion effort in relatively low turnout years. Multiply that challenge by a Presidential electorate that is 350% larger than 2023’s electorate and you have a voting audience that’s budgetarily out of reach. The Javelina team performed a data analysis and developed targeting that allowed us to eliminate 40% of the people we knew definitely would be voting from our mail universe. The vast majority of these people were already for us or against us and would turn out to vote whether we talked to them or not. Cutting our audience nearly in half enabled the campaign to focus limited resources on the voters who mattered most.
3. The Right Method of Communication
Not all voters are the same. In fact, 15% of voters who cast a ballot in the presidential election did not vote on the GPS override—and they’re self-selecting. Those who vote on school funding:
- Are plugged into the community
- Have been residents for longer
- Tend to be more highly educated
- Are more likely to consume election information
They also know they’re voting on a matter that can be complex. As a result, if you want to be persuasive, you need to be substantive. Door-knocking is the most substantive and persuasive form of voter contact but—barring an impossibly large budget—it’s impractical for reaching a presidential election-sized universe. The most substantive form of mass communication is mail. As a result, we prioritized that medium.
Image: Direct mail piece for GPS override campaign
4. Talking To Moderate and Conservative Voters
Knowing we were talking to moderate-conservative voters changed what we emphasized. Our communications focused on preparing students to compete in the global economy, providing training in mechanics, electronics, and other trades as a viable alternative to getting a 4-year degree. The campaign also focused on keeping school campuses safe, and strengthening the district’s economy and property values. To reinforce this messaging, we highlighted endorsements from the Chamber of Commerce and elected officials whom our target voters trust.
5. Keeping it Simple
There are so many things one can do with mail that it can become a dangerous temptation to do it all. In the same election that Javelina was producing humorous, eye-catching, polished, and cutting-edge mail for candidates, we intentionally toned it down for GPS. That’s because we knew our high-information audience would read the mail we sent without needing a gimmick to catch their eyes. More than that, we knew they wouldn’t trust information that looked “slick” and that wasn’t a simple presentation of the facts needed to make a decision. Like everyone this year, our target voters were inundated with negative ads. In this harsh environment, the GPS campaign’s simple, upbeat authenticity was a tonic.
Image: Portion of palm card for GPS override campaign
Every school district bond or override and every candidate is different. And every election year brings unique challenges and opportunities. The first key to winning is tailoring your voter communications in a thoughtful and intentional way. Or, take a weight off your shoulders by contacting Javelina for a free consultation. We want to talk to you.