The qualifications for a campaign worker are not strict. According to the law, any R.O.C citizen at least twenty years old, aside from currently serving civil servants, can be a campaign worker.

We have already entered the campaign season. A lot of staffers are sensitive to the term "campaign." Some aren't willing to talk about it for fear of revealing secrets. Some request anonymity and only say a few sentences. Despite this, campaign work is a fascinating subject.

In every campaign headquarters there are a chairman and a director. They can be seen as the chiefs of the staff. The latter's work is to deploy the troops and make strategy, and they sometimes must personally go out to "pull in votes." The latter is usually a faction leader or a person of high reputation. They are responsible for charismatic appeal and influence.

Other campaign Workers, between 300 and 1,000 in each headquarters, are divided into several groups, including data collection, canvassing, press, art work, distributing leaflets, and so on.

How do campaign workers go about their job?

"It was easy before," says one campaign worker without a second thought. Huang Yao-ming, the director of the Fourth Office of the Taipei city branch of the KMT, explained that because elections in the past stressed geographic relations, the influence of local factions ordinarily was strong. Therefore one only had to get hold of the local leader and victory was in one's grasp. Add to this that the local leaders often put forward the candidates themselves, then naturally there was no problem. Election assistants only had to canvass, give out a few pamphlets, and a few would ask relatives to help out. At that time, treating to dinner was the most frequently seen method of stumping for votes.

Times have changed and the electorate has changed. Information has freed the electorate from reliance on word of mouth from friends and neighbors. Now people want to wait until the last minute to decide who to vote for.

Candidates are also changing. A lot of young people are running. Because they don't have much factional or mass support, they can only rely on propaganda. Thus promotional artists and other specialists have entered the ranks of campaign workers.

In the past because the ruling party's organization was strong, there wasn't much need for promotional work. Thus it had its origins in opposition figures. Later the ruling party felt its significance and began to use it heavily.

"Image-making" and "tzao-shih"-- creating charismatic appeal--are the two major promotional strategies. "Most assume that the image must be unique. In fact, what's most important is to grasp the psychology of the electorate," says Director Huang. For example, a person with a scholarly image can also attract voters.

But there's no formula to follow to win voters' hearts. Some have seized on the Chinese sympathy for the weak, appealing to voters as family members of "political victims." Some ruling party candidates take a tack of being more "oppositionist" than the opposition, promoting themselves as someone who dares to criticize.

What else is included? "Social trends, the voter's position, and the candidate's innate nature must all be considered," notes one campaign worker. If the candidate's character is steady, it won't be convincing to mold him into a "cannoneer." But if you give a clean and simple pamphlet with strong views, the candidate will come off as reasonable and scholarly.

But candidates still need to rely on tzaoshih. This has two steps: One has to first do general notification, and only later can one do conquest of the consciousness.

Recently a legislator asked the president to use his emergency powers to dissolve the parliament to solve the problem of the retirement of senior deputies. The reaction of some deputies was very strong, but some people commented, "At least this year that legislator will be able to save ten million dollars in advertising costs."

"Who remembers who the second man on the moon was?" asks one campaign worker. So candidates have to appear to be "first." Some lined up one night early to be first to register. One from the fishermen's sectoral election went to sea to visit constituents. Some went to the temple to make offerings and swore that they began campaigning only at that time.

Some take a public policy angle. They tour the polluted Tamshui river. They express concern about child prostitution and hold seminars or hearings. Others use small theater grounds to propound their views.

During the campaign period, campaign workers and reporters have extremely subtle relations. So going with the news, or even creating the news, is one skill in tzao-shih. The program of sending famous personalities out of Taipei to speak undertaken by the ruling party was one example--its scale and innovativeness meant that the papers couldn't fail to report it.

In the era when promotion didn't get so much attention, some candidates of the ruling party simply waited for the party to distribute votes of party members. They didn't hurry to communicate with voters. Few people held rallies, and just as few came.

But it's different for non-KMT people. They have been active in getting voter recognition, and their rallies are more well-run. In particular, their intense criticisms attracted audiences. With party competition and social pluralization, the ruling party has also decided to manage this stage effectively.

How can candidates steal a march on their opponents? Criticizing current policy is the fast track. Some deliver declarations of war on famous candidates, or challenge them to debates. Though this method has yet to be successful, it does raise name recognition. Film or singing stars make excellent campaign assistants, but they can leave the candidate in the wings. For example, when the famous operatic drama star Yang Li-hwa enters the rally, the crowd yells, "Put Li-hwa up there to speak!"

Spreading rumors by word of mouth is a simple but powerful strategy. Nevertheless, it should not be used lightly, for one can't be certain whether it will be helpful or harmful.

Candidates, like commercials, claim to be concerned about your problems. But whether their concern is translated into reality or not requires that voters be prudent and exacting; otherwise, they'll be the ultimate losers.

Know thy competitor, know thyself; in one hundred battles win one hundred victories. This goes for candidates, but for voters too.

[Picture Caption]

Movie stars have a lot of charisma and they are often invited to be camp aign assistants. Sometimes they even make the audience forget the candidate altogether!

In the past campaign vehicles tried to catch the voters' attention by vo lume if nothing else. Today this is seen as "noise pollution," and many candidates have opted to abandon this traditional tactic.

Elections are a hard sell. Campaign workers will do anything to give the ir candidate the right image,so voters have to be careful shoppers.

Activities can be an extension of textbook materials. This is a summer school student's activity schedule.

Besides the books in their satchels, the natural surroundings are another important influence on students.

Approaching on hand and knee. 　Serving as the littlest soldier in the animal kingdom. 　Wallowing in the inundated muddy earth. 　Able to roam freely.

Approaching on hand and knee. 　Serving as the littlest soldier in the animal kingdom. 　Wallowing in the inundated muddy earth. 　Able to roam freely.

Approaching on hand and knee. 　Serving as the littlest soldier in the animal kingdom. 　Wallowing in the inundated muddy earth. 　Able to roam freely.