12 Free Tools for Independent Candidates for Office

Independent candidates are underfunded, under resourced, and understaffed. This makes it difficult for them to compete against the two major parties that have seemingly unlimited funds in comparison. There’s good news though… there are tons of free tools for you to run an efficient and scrappy campaign that can make a small team or an individual look like an elite campaign staff firing on all cylinders.

1. GoodParty.org

Want to show viability for your campaign in an easy, intuitive, and free way? List your campaign on GoodParty.org. Free real-time social media trackers show how your campaign’s following is growing. GoodParty.org also tracks all mentions of you from anywhere on the internet, giving potential voters a sense of the buzz around your campaign.

Lastly, the platform gives you insight into what’s working and what’s not on your social channels and the channels of all listed independent candidates. If you’re an independent, GoodParty.org is a great way to level up your marketing efforts and prove you can win!

2. Zapier

Automate just about any process in your campaign with Zapier. If you want to send automated emails to voters or volunteers that fill out your forms, Zapier is a great way to quickly capitalize on new opportunities. The best part - it’s no-code. With hundreds of integrations, Zapier can connect your email to your calendar, your spreadsheets to your forms, and notify you of important emails or contact requests. 

Your first 100 monthly automations are free, so this is a great way to build efficient operations for a grassroots campaign.

3. Canva

Create beautiful social posts, emails, videos, and more with Canva. Canva is an all-in-one design software that has a great free version. If you’re looking for an easy way to create better looking social media templates and a better look and feel to your campaign marketing materials, Canva is the way to go. You’ll look like you have a professional design team in no time.

4. Mailchimp

While going out of favor with many, email marketing is still a top channel for political campaigns to connect with and raise funds from supporters. Mailchimp helps you organize your email list and send great looking email campaigns with no-code editors. If you send a lot of emails with mail-merge or from your email client, it might be time to make the transition to a email marketing tool or CRM like Mailchimp.

5. Google Suite: Google Analytics/Google Tag Manager/Google Optimize

Google Analytics is still the gold standard for website performance tracking. If you send lots of people to your campaign website, you want to know how it is performing. Set up events with Google Tag Manager to track where and what people are viewing, clicking on, and submitting forms. Google Optimize allows you to take these learnings on your website and test new options, allowing you to constantly improve your website without any technical experience!

Fortunately, all of these tools are completely free to use! There’s also a huge community of users that create helpful tutorials and curate best practices.

6. Buffer

Social media management is often a full time job. But it doesn’t have to be. With Buffer, you can schedule posts ahead of time so you can focus on the campaign trail. Buffer also helps you consolidate all of your social media platforms in one place, allowing you to keep your content fresh across channels.

7. VoteAmerica

It’s going to take new voters and current non-voters to propel independents to wins. That’s why VoteAmerica is a great tool to embed on your website. Their offerings include a voter registration checker, an online voter registration module, a where to vote lookup, and more. These free tools are easy to implement and a great way to boost engagement on your site.

8. Wistia

Video is king on social media and website design, but hard to execute well. Wistia makes it a bit easier with great looking templates and an editor that allows you to add calls to action (CTAs) to your videos, providing clear next steps to viewers. Wistia is also a great place to host podcast and video content generally.

9. Ballotpedia

A well known site in the elections space, Ballotpedia is the encyclopedia of elections at any level throughout the United States. But did you know that you can edit your Ballotpedia page? Check out Ballotpedia Candidate Connection to customize your Ballotpedia page so you can look great for curious voters researching your campaign.

10. Phantombuster

Do you send a lot of social media DMs to potential campaign allies? Send dozens of personalized messages a day with the click of a button. Phantombuster multiplies your outreach efforts, helping you cut through the noise of email by reaching the top of the inbox of social media users. This is so important for understaffed and underfunded campaigns to stay efficient.

Another great aspect of Phantombuster is extracting leads from social media platforms. Pull lists of social media users in your area to find volunteers, potential voters, and media contacts.

11. NationBuilder

Nationbuilder is a powerful online platform designed to help candidates run successful political campaigns. With its comprehensive suite of tools and features, Nationbuilder empowers candidates to easily manage their campaign website, email communications, social media presence, and fundraising efforts. The platform is intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for candidates to connect with supporters, mobilize volunteers, and engage with voters. Nationbuilder's data analytics and reporting capabilities give candidates real-time insights into their campaign's performance, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and optimize their strategy.

12. Webflow

Webflow is an innovative website design and development platform that allows political candidates to create professional, visually stunning websites with ease. With a user-friendly interface, Webflow allows candidates to easily build and customize their own website without needing to rely on expensive web developers. The platform also offers a variety of powerful features, including SEO optimization, social media integration, and responsive design, making it the perfect choice for political candidates looking to create a strong online presence. Additionally, Webflow's hosting and maintenance services ensure that candidates' websites will be reliable, fast-loading, and always up-to-date.