Where a county elects its executive, that race is usually the biggest local race on the ballot. The electorate covers a whole county: a city, its suburbs, and rural towns, often with different media habits and different concerns. Budgets are larger than a town race but far smaller than a congressional race, so every channel choice has to earn its place.
We ran digital persuasion ads and built the campaign website for Monroe County Executive Adam Bello's 2023 re-election. This article covers how we think about planning media for a countywide race.
Even Year or Odd Year
When the race is on the ballot matters as much as where. Some counties elect their executive in even years alongside races for governor, Congress, or president. Others hold the race in an odd year, when it may be the top race on the ballot. The two call for different plans:
- In an even year, turnout is higher and the electorate includes many voters who don't follow local politics. The race competes with federal and statewide campaigns for voters' attention and for ad inventory, and TV rates rise as Election Day approaches.
- In an odd year, turnout is lower and the electorate is older and more likely to have voted in past local elections. Ad inventory is easier to get, and a smaller universe of likely voters lets the budget go further.
Some states are moving local races to even years. New York's 2023 law moves most county offices outside New York City to even years as current terms end, and California's Voter Participation Rights Act requires many local jurisdictions with low off-year turnout to vote on statewide election dates. If your county's schedule is changing, the next race may look very different from the last one.
Who Decides a County Executive Race
Whatever the year, the voter file is the most useful planning tool a county campaign has. A campaign can identify the voters likely to turn out and put most of its budget on them, instead of paying to reach everyone in the county.
Geography matters too. The city, the inner suburbs, and the rural towns often vote differently, and the race is usually decided in a few places where the margin can move. A good plan weights spending toward those places rather than spreading it evenly.
Choosing Channels for a Countywide Race
Broadcast and cable TV
Broadcast TV is bought by market, and a TV market rarely matches a county. In a county that makes up most of its market, broadcast can reach older, high-turnout voters efficiently. In a smaller county inside a larger market, most of the buy reaches people who can't vote in the race. Cable can be bought by zone, which usually fits a county better than broadcast does.
Streaming TV
Streaming ads can be matched to the voter file, so a county campaign can reach registered voters in the county on Hulu, YouTube, Roku, and other services, and stop serving ads to voters who have already cast a ballot. Our CTV/OTT guide covers how that targeting works.
Digital and social
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and display ads are the most flexible part of the plan. They can introduce the candidate early, answer an attack within a day, and push turnout at the end. They also reach the younger voters who are harder to find on TV.
Mail reaches the older, high-propensity voters who decide most local races, and it lands in the home regardless of what they watch. Countywide mail gets expensive quickly, so it works best targeted to likely voters in the places where the race is close. See our direct mail services for how we run mail programs.
What to Say About County Government
Many voters aren't sure what county government does. Ads that connect the office to things voters see, like roads, parks, property tax bills, and services for seniors and families, give voters a concrete reason to care about the race. An incumbent can point to specific work. A challenger needs a specific contrast, not a general call for change.
Plan Around Early Voting and Mail Ballots
Most states now offer early in-person voting, mail voting, or both, so many votes are cast before Election Day. Before building the media calendar, find three dates for your race: the primary or first round, the first day of early voting, and the date mail ballots go out.
Persuasion ads need to land before early voting begins. Turnout ads should run through the early voting period, not just the final weekend, and voter-file targeting lets you stop paying to reach voters who have already cast a ballot.