One of the things I think about constantly in this work is timing. Not just what’s happening, but where we are in the cycle — and what that means for how platforms, campaigns, and policy organizations should be responding right now.
Platforms evolve their election policies in ways that often get buried in Friday afternoon announcements or footnotes to broader policy updates. Understanding what they’re doing and why requires knowing what phase of the election cycle we’re in — and reading the signals they’re sending about where they’re headed.
Here’s how I think about election cycles, and what the platform signals I’m watching mean for anyone navigating this space.
The full breakdown — four phases of election cycles, what each requires from platforms and organizations, and my read on where the major platforms are headed — is part of the Anchor Change Premium Content Library. Upgrade to keep reading.