FOR MARYLAND JOBS AND SCHOOLS

“Winning Connections was an invaluable ally to the FOR Question 7 campaign. Their experience talking one-on-one with voters was an instrumental tool in moving our strongest messages and turning voters out on Election Day.”

– Michael Kolenc, Deputy Campaign Manager, For Maryland Jobs & Schools

CHALLENGE

When the Maryland State Legislature approved Question Seven, a ballot measure to grant one additional gaming license for the construction of a casino in Prince George’s County, corporate interests in adjacent states began flooding the airwaves with misleading ads. But independent studies projected that this initiative would create 12,000 new jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars for Maryland schools, so we needed to find a way to break through the noise.

STRATEGY

Winning Connections partnered with For Maryland Jobs and Schools to contact hundreds of thousands of voters across the state. We used live, interactive calls to relay the benefits of Question Seven and to determine what voters cared about most. We also used live telephone town halls—essentially large conference calls—to connect with voters, addressing their concerns and allowing them to ask direct questions about Question Seven.

RESULTS

Marylanders voted in favor of new jobs and increased revenue for schools, approving Question Seven by only 90,000 votes. This campaign showed that one-on-one conversations can have a significant impact in pushing against large-scale media ad buys.