Through a computer program from his office in the East Bay, Measure H campaign advisor Larry Tramutola can track residents who support the Los Altos School District's $94.7 million construction bond measure, which will be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. He can also direct volunteers at the campaign headquarters in the Blossom Valley Shopping Center in Mountain View to be more aggressive in specific precincts or to target residents who fit specific profiles.
Tramutola, known for his cutting-edge campaign strategies and a successful string of bond approvals, has said he hopes to win this campaign one vote at a time. The computer program the Measure H committee uses, does just that.
The program spits out the names of those who fit specific profiles, enabling members of the campaign committee to better target potential "yes voters." Volunteers can make mailing lists based on zip codes and voting frequencies to party affiliations. Voter information from the registrar of voters and school district are cross referenced into the database, co-chairwoman Tania Granoff said. She said such detailed lists have made it possible for the committee to reach sub-categories of voters.
Knowing how to pinpoint the yes voters is essential in a campaign where a two-thirds majority vote is needed and only 14 percent of those voters are Los Altos School District parents, said campaign co-chair Nanette Freedland.
"We used a yellow highlighter to keep track of supporters and never had a target number," Freedland said referring to previous campaigns that she worked.
The strategy appears to be working, Granoff said. At the end of the campaign's first phase, which targeted Los Altos School District parents, support for the bond was where it should be, according to Tramutola, Granoff said. She said about 2,000 residents, or 85 percent of the approximately 3,500 residents contacted, support Measure H. She said about 400 parents, or 13 percent, were undecided and about two percent did not support the bond.
Organizers say they will need 10,720 yes votes of the 25,5000 registered voters in the district in order to obtain the majority needed to pass the measure.
"This type of strategy is what Larry is known for. He won the high school bond this way," she said. "I'm still nervous," she added.
Measure H, if passed, promises to upgrade the district's nine schools, which have not been renovated since they were built between 40 and 50 years ago.
Last week, volunteers were targeting Democratic women who regularly vote. "They tend to be strong supporters of education," Granoff said.
She said volunteers will begin canvassing Los Altos neighborhoods during a stop-and-talk campaign beginning Oct. 17.