An Initiative to Ban Bear-Baiting

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An Initiative to Ban Bear-Baiting

• Alaskas Experience 2004

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Anti-Hunters Strategy

• Define the least popular most vulnerable hunting
  techniques
• Attack them through the press and the courts
• Eliminate them through legislation, regulation or
  the ballot box
• Eliminate hunting Method by method, species by
  species and State by State

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Alaskas Political Landscape

• 648,818 Total State Population
• 472,160 Registered Voters
• Population Base
• Over 50 between Anchorage, Fairbanks Juneau
• Anti-sportsmen measures consistently pass in
  Alaska
• Viewed as holy grail by anti-hunting movement

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2002 Survey

• Alaskans Attitude toward bear-baiting
• 64 Opposed the practice
• 32 thought it was OK

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June of 2003

• A group of Alaskans financed by groups like
  HSUS, Fund for Animals and PETA began collecting
  signatures to put an initiative on the 2004
  ballot to ban bear baiting.
• Paid signature gatherers worked malls, grocery
  stores,airports etc to get over 23,000 signatures

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Ballot Measure 3

• Be it enacted by the people of the State of
  Alaska
• 16.05.781. Baiting or intentional feeding of
  bears prohibited.
• (a) A person may not bait or intentionally feed
  a bear for the purpose of hunting, photography,
  or viewing.
• (b) Under this section, to "bait" or
  "intentionally feed" means to intentionally give,
  deposit, distribute, discard, scatter or
  otherwise expose any attractant or edible
  material in order to attract or enticed bear to
  enter into, or to remain in , a location or area.
  
• (c) A person who violates this section is
  guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

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July 2003

• A group of 6-10 concerned Alaskans began meeting
  to try to stop the initiative.
• Included Representatives of Alaskan Bowhunters,
  Alaskan Trappers, Ak Ch SCI
• Initially some individuals tried a lawsuit to
  block the Initiative on grounds of
  unconstitutional allocation of resources.

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August 2003

• Formed a new group Alaskans for Professional
  Wildlife Management
• Hired a professional pollster consultant so we
  could conduct a scientific campaign
• Hired professional campaign management

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Alaskans for Professional Wildlife Management

• Coalition Members Include
• Safari Club International
• National Rifle Association
• Alaskan Bowhunters Association
• Alaska Outdoor Council
• Scientific Management of Alaskas Resource
  Treasurers
• Alaska Trappers Association
• Alaska State Muzzle Loading Association
• Ballot Issues Coalition
• Ted Nugent United Sportsmen of America
• National Wild Turkey Federation
• Ruffed Grouse Society
• Territorial Sportsmen
• And many more

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Steering Committee

• Kurt Norby Chairman
• President, Alaska Chapter of SCI
• Phil Pringle
• Past President, Alaskan Bowhunters Assoc.
• Jennifer Yuhas
• Executive Director, Alaska Outdoor Council
• Eddie Grasser, Treasurer
• Field Representative NRA
• Jack Frost
• Alaskan Bowhunters, SCI
• Patrick Wright Keith Bayha
• SMART

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Fall 2003

• Initiative certified - got enough signatures to
  be on the ballot in Nov 2004
• APWM ordered a benchmark poll to determine not
  only current voter positions but what arguments
  were most likely to sway voters

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October 03 September 04

• Fundraising, fundraising and fundraising
• Coalition building
• Spokesperson training
• Message testing with focus groups
• Media development (earned / paid)
• Collateral material production / distribution
• Radio and newspaper ad placement
• Reach and frequency

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Statewide Polling / Research

• Results from Benchmark in February 03
• 63 Voting Yes
• 32 Voting No
• We were LOSING!
• Messages Identified
• Dont talk about baiting
• Focus on penalties that go too far
• Out-of-state extremists pushing agenda un-popular
• Decisions should be made by biologists at ADFG

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Polling Continued

• Trusted Spokespersons
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Congressman Don Young
• Alaskan Natives
• Professional Wildlife Managers
• Keys to Success
• Message Communication
• Who, what, when and where
• Campaign discipline
• Remain on message

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January 2004

• Began serious efforts at fundraising
• Requested money not only from Alaskans but also
  nationally from USSA, BIC, SCI, State Bowhunting
  Organizations etc

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Spring 2004

• Campaign designed based on results of benchmark
  survey
• Identification and training of official
  spokespersons
• Web site to facilitate donations,volunteer
  efforts and grassroots support
• Continued fundraising

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Message CommunicationNot a cookie cutter
approach

• Earned Media
• Press Releases / News Conference
• Letters to the Editor
• Fish and Game / Biological Information
• Editorial Boards/ T.V. Interviews
• Paid Media
• Direct Mail
• Newspaper and Radio Advertising
• Website
• No Television

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Summer 2004

• Continued fundraising
• Letters to editor
• Radio talk shows
• Campaign plan developed and materials produced -
  150,000 X 4 600,000 mailers
• Pollster/campaign consultant developed list of
  150,000 super voters, new voters etc.

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Direct Mail

• 580,000 pieces
• 145,000 Super Voting Households
• Republicans, Independents, Undeclared,
  Non-Partisan and Democrat
• Hunt, Fish Trap households included
• Four Different Mail pieces
• One each week, 4 weeks prior election day
• Creation, printing and drop shipments all
  completed no later than mid-September

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Newspaper Advertising

• Three different ads throughout campaign
• Full page, full color ads
• All five major Alaska newspapers
• Anchorage Daily News 7 Ads
• Fairbanks Daily News Miner 8 Ads
• Juneau Empire 2 Ads
• Peninsula Clarion 7 Ads
• Kodiak Mirror 3 Ads

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Radio Advertisements

• Five weeks of statewide advertising
• First 3 ½ weeks
• 432 ads statewide
• Last 1 ½ weeks
• Over 800 ads statewide
• Four different ads throughout campaign created
  with in-house creative radio talent
• Quick production turnaround, quick approval

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October 2004

• Mail outs one per week X four weeks to previously
  identified super voters, new voters and swing
  voters.
• No TV advertising (too expensive, no prime time
  available because of other election issues)
• Avoided debates
• Stick to our message
• Polls at 1 month, 2 weeks,one week, then daily

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Fundraising

• Total Raised 515,000
• SCI and chapters of SCI 190,000
• BIC (Ballot Initiatives Coallitiion) 150,000
• USSA 50,000
• Individual bowhunters 29,000
• Bowhunting Organizations (4) 28,000

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Fundraising

• 515,000
• Individuals - 45,424.99
• Organizations - 469,245
• SCI (AK/Nat.) 190,000
• Ballot Issues Coalition 97,000
• US Sportsmens 50,000
• AK Bowhunters 23,100
• AK Outdoor Council 20,000
• AK Trappers Assoc. 12,500
• NWTF (AK) 10,000
• SMART 8,500

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October Statewide Polling

• After 2 direct mail pieces and 1 ½ weeks of radio
• 50 Yes (13 point drop)
• 44 No (12 point increase)
• 6 Unsure
• Message Identification
• More/much more likely to vote against if
• Being proposed by out-of-state extremists 57
• ADFG prohibited from trapping problem bears 71
• Included bird feeder/dog food dish/garbage 68
• Jail for 1 year, 10,000 fine for taking picture
  66
• HSUS use the ballot box to end all hunting 72

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Campaign Adaptation

• Immediate Changes Based on Research
• Newspaper ads
• Radio ads
• Press releases/conferences
• Research, research, research
• Youre blind without it
• Do what your poll says, not your gut
• Stick to your messages!
• Messages were shifted in last two weeks of
  campaign to capitalize on effective vote moving
  messages

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One Week Out Tracking

• October 27 November 1
• Wednesday 48 Yes 49 No
• Thursday 49 Yes 48 No
• Friday 48 Yes 47 No
• Saturday 45 Yes 49 No
• Sunday 45 Yes 52 No
• Monday 44 Yes 52 No
• Decline in support corresponds with changes
  made to paid media based on research

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Elections

• Final results 57 AGAINST 43 in favor of banning
  bear baiting
• We Whipped them !!!!!!!!
• It can be done

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Election Results

• Final Vote
• 59 No 141,648
• 41 Yes 100,312
• Shift in opinion
• From 63 Yes to 41 Yes 22 Point Drop
• From 32 No to 59 No 27 Point Gain
• Largest margin of victory of any Alaska statewide
  ballot measure this year

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Lessons

• Small steering committee
• Professional polling and support
• Professional campaign management
• Adequate funds

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Keys to Victory

• Professional campaign management
• Dedicated and hardworking coalition
• Campaign / fundraising plans followed
• Research and message discipline
• No campaign cowboys
• Clear lines of communication
• No reaction to oppositions messages
• Leadership and experience

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Conclusions

• We can win these things
• Learn from each other
• Support each other
• Minimize fighting amongst ourselves
• If we dont hang together we will surely hang
  separately

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Thank You

• Jack Frost
• Legislative VP Alaskan Bowhunters