Free calculator for candidates and campaign managers
How many votes do you need to win?
Put in your district's numbers to get your win number. Every other goal in a campaign, from doors to mail to money, works back from it. Then unlock a full plan to reach it.
1 · Your win number
FreeYour win number
Sample0
- Ballots expected
- 0
- Bare minimum
- 0
- Cushion
- 0
These are example numbers. Put in your district's to get your own.
2 · Your campaign plan
$39Your plan is built
Unlock the full plan for $39
- Door, phone and volunteer-shift goals for every week
- A line-item budget and your cost per vote
- The hours of call time it takes to raise that budget
- A week-by-week calendar to Election Day, with mail drops and get-out-the-vote
- Every assumption adjustable, and the plan copies into a doc or spreadsheet
One-time payment through Stripe. No account. The plan unlocks on this device as soon as checkout finishes.
Your campaign plan
Change the assumptions
How the math works
What's a win number?
The number of votes you need to win, plus a cushion. Campaign managers set it before anything else, because door goals, the mail plan and the fundraising goal all work back from it.
Where do I find my district's numbers?
Your county clerk or secretary of state posts registered voter counts and past results, usually as a PDF or spreadsheet. Look up the last race for the same office, or the last election of the same type.
Which method should I use?
Use the last election when your race has a recent result to compare against. It's also the better method when voters pick more than one candidate, as in many council and school board races. Use turnout for a new district or when past results are hard to find.
How are races with three or more candidates handled?
With two candidates you need half the ballots plus one. With more, the top vote-getter wins, so the calculator plans for 40% in a three-way race, 35% in a four-way race and 30% with five or more. If your state requires a majority, plan for half plus one.
Why add a cushion?
Turnout surprises happen, and some voters skip races down the ballot. A cushion of about five percent protects you from a count that comes in light.
How does the plan turn votes into doors?
It assumes you earn half your votes by talking to voters, and that half the voters you talk to back you. About one door in four answers, and a volunteer knocks about 15 doors an hour. You can change every assumption.