A political campaign is a period of time during which people try to influence the outcome of an election through public declarations, usually by means of direct communication with voters. It is carried out by legally established political parties and formally proclaimed candidates, but other organizations such as trade unions, employers’ organizations, groups of citizens or even famous people unrelated to politics may also make public declarations in support of certain candidates. In democratic systems, political campaigns are a fundamental part of democracy and it is impossible to exclude such activities.
Political campaigning is a powerful tool for influencing public opinion, and many countries have laws regulating what can and cannot be done in such campaigns. For example, candidates are not allowed to promise chocolate bars for every voter in town if they win the election or to spread false information about the opponents’ character and behaviour. In addition, the media can only report impartially and may not encourage the audience to vote for one candidate over another.
A political campaign is a team effort and staff members often have very different tasks. They can be expected to spend much of their time out in the community delivering flyers, door-knocking or visiting local businesses. They may organize fundraisers, write letters to the editors of newspapers or social media groups, spread the word about events in their school or geographic community and generally help candidates with their communication strategy. Staffers of highly competitive campaigns may be required to travel extensively and are often offered opportunities to develop their leadership skills in the process.