Get Out The Vote

Principles | Activities | Get Out The Vote Resources

Principles

The chief goal of activities is to encourage your community to vote is to help new or infrequent voters to participate. People are most likely to vote when they have been contacted by someone they know or when they seek or receive help in the voting process.

Make it Personal

The strongest finding of voter mobilization research is that people are more likely to participate when they are personally contacted by someone they know. People respond to people, especially a friend, neighbor or a community-based agency that they know and trust.

• Rather than less personal handouts or mass emails, look for opportunities to create conversations about voting at your point of service, in meetings, on the phone or at trainings or events.

Give voters the help they need

Newer voters can let small things keep them from the polls. Not knowing polling place hours and location, where to vote if they've just moved, what kind of identification is necessary can all create barriers to participation.

• Nonprofits are helping agencies with experience in referring people on how to find assistance with tasks like casting their ballot.

Turn up the (nonpartisan) volume

In the final days before an election, potential voters may get turned off by overly partisan campaigns, or find other reasons not to participate. Nonprofits can use their nonpartisanship and credibility to reinforce the importance and urgency of voting in a way that will increase turnout.

• Potential voters start to pay more attention to voting in the final weeks. This is a time when your strong endorsement to vote will affect whether they will participate or not.

Activities

In the last two weeks…

Create Visibility

Your signs, displays and messages on the election should be visible to everyone who walks into your agency or attends any of your trainings or events.

• Place Vote November 2 signage – posters, flyers, etc - throughout the lobby and all public spaces
• Make announcements or hold discussions at meetings, events, classes, etc
• Encourage popular local media sources to promote both the election and places where voters can go to find help

Provide Help

Help your constituents succeed in voting. Once a voter, they'll be more likely after the election to follow issues and participate in community affairs.

• Orient staff to answer basic election questions or where a voter can get help voting
• When providing services, ask people if they're planning to vote and if they need help
• Work with your 2-1-1 human service to answer basic voting-related questions, like those on finding polling places or checking voter registration
• Advertise rides to the polls or where to get help
• With help from volunteers, call a list of your constituents about voting on Election Day

Raise the Stakes

The urgency and importance you communicate in the last two weeks will make it more likely your constituents will take time to vote –

• Use all your communications – in-person and otherwise
• Do more to tie the election to an issue and the future of your agency and your community
• Provide translated information and materials, where possible

On Election Day

Make Election Day special. Treat it like day both of political importance and time to celebrate democracy.

• Allow staff to spend part or all of Election Day doing nonpartisan get out the vote activities
• Encourage your staff and volunteers to sign up as poll workers or translators
• Ask everyone you connect with if they've voted or need help voting
• Put up big "Vote Today" signs with a number to call or place to go for help.
• Have an Election day party.

Get Out The Vote Resources

• Giving Rides to the Polls
• Tiers to Voter Engagement
• Get Out the Vote The Electronic Way
• "Payroll Stuffers"
• "Sample Newsletters"
• "Nonprofits, Staff and Elections"
• "Actividades permitidas para el personal de organizaciones sin fines de lucro"

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