Frequently Asked Questions

What is Electioneer?
Electioneer is a Campaign Intelligence Management system built by Talon Interactive for the purposes of increasing the chances that you will get elected to the office you are seeking. Electioneer is the name given to our proprietary three-part integrated campaign system, consisting of 1) Your Website, 2) Your Campaign Contact Database and 3) Your interactive messaging tool which manages several methods of getting in touch with voters: email, direct mail, voice and personal contact.

How is Electioneer delivered?
Electioneer is delivered to you over the pubic Internet. The technical term for this service provision is ASP, which stands for Application Service Provider. In layman's terms it means that the database and applications reside on our servers and you tap into this program from any computer which is connected to the Internet.

What kind of computer do I need to run Electioneer?
Any Windows-compatible computer, laptop or desktop, made in the past five years will be more than adequate to operate Electioneer. For best results, we suggest a high-speed connection to the Internet, such as those provided by DSL providers, Cable Modem service providers and high speed Internet connections in hotels.

Can I operate Electioneer myself, or do I need help?
If you can navigate your way around simple website applications, such as checking the weather at Weather.com, shopping at Amazon.com, or scheduling events on the Yahoo.com calendar, you can operate Electioneer immediately, and use it with confidence after a brief familiarization. For those seeking deeper knowledge, we offer in depth training seminars. Additional help is available from our "super users" who can be brought in for a reasonable hourly fee. This is often a good way to train your staff.

Is Electioneer fast?
This depends mainly on the speed of your Internet connection. Desktop applications, like Excel and Word, are always faster than web applications. Like any of the applications mentioned above, you will notice that after you take an action, the page will take a second to refresh itself. This is normal. While not as "fast" from a "click to click" standpoint, in the long run Electioneer saves tremendous amounts of time by automating many background tasks, such as record keeping, time and date stamping and note-taking that you would have to do manually if you were operating a desktop application.

How long can I use Electioneer?
When you sign up for Electioneer, your access is granted from the day you buy until the end of that election cycle. If you purchase in January, 2002, your access would be good through the last day of the month in which the General Election were held, November 30, 2002, in this case. Obviously, the earlier in the cycle you sign up, the longer you get to utilize Electioneer.

How many people on my staff can use Electioneer?
Use of Electioneer is for your entire staff, or as many as you designate. Many competing programs limit you to one user or three users, then make you pay more for additional users. Electioneer comes with a license to allow unlimited users on your campaign. This comes in handy if you are operating a grass roots campaign where many volunteers are involved. And, since they can use Electioneer from their home computers, there is no reason not to involve lots of volunteers in your campaign.

How much does Electioneer cost?
Use of Electioneer for an election cycle ranges from under $4,000 to over $25,000. Most candidates for local, county and regional offices will spend an average of $4,000-$6,000 during their election year. Candidates for U.S. Congress and higher offices will spend more.

How is Electioneer different than other campaign programs, like Aristotle, politically-e, and others?
Mainly, Electioneer is different because it helps you win the election, not just manage the campaign. The difference is in voter contact, voter messaging and get out the vote management. Other programs automate record keeping and assist in the office chores involved with a campaign, but Electioneer ALSO helps you communicate directly to the voters, remembering every message and every reply.

Another way to visualize this difference is to compare the "office management" type of campaign software with online tax preparation software. Those tax programs help you fill out the right forms, and comply with certain laws, but they don't help you make money in the first place! Electioneer maintains the relationship between you and your "paying customers", the voters.

After I sign up for Electioneer, is there anything else I have to buy?
Electioneer is virtually free to use as long as you are working with email, electronic newsletters, on-line surveys, and personal contact via telephone and in-person visits. When Electioneer is used to assist with direct mail, then the cost of the direct mail preparation and U.S. postage must be factored in. When Electioneer is used for interactive voice broadcast via telephone, a per-minute charge must be factored in. These added telephone costs typically run about 12-14 cents per delivered message

How do I know if Electioneer is working?
In several modes of its usage, Electioneer has built-in feedback mechanisms to track how your messages are being received. Once you send an electronic or voice message, you can watch the "gauges" on the Electioneer screen to evaluate the progress of your message, including who read or listened, how long they listened, how they responded and which messages were not received at all.