How to really get out the vote (GOTV)
(Spoiler alert: It’s just talk to people you know)
We hear it every year: Wyoming voter turnout is too low, especially in the primaries! A tiny number of people decide the fate of our whole state! Voters are apathetic!
And every year, most of us try the same GOTV (Get Out The Vote) tactics to change that. We give folks info on dates, locations, and ID requirements. We remind them that this election is the most important EVER. We remind them that voting is their patriotic duty, and direct them to voter guides where every candidate gives more or less the same answer to each question.
These strategies haven’t worked. And it turns out, it’s not just us. National research has shown that these strategies don’t motivate people to vote. They’re all essential for folks who already plan to vote...but when it comes to turning no-ters into voters, we need to try something new.
WHAT WE KNOW WORKS:
The kind of info you give folks can help. People skip voting in the primaries because they don’t feel like they understand issues, not because they can’t find info on how to vote. Help folks understand how the candidates they might vote for will make decisions on issues they care about. You can CLICK HERE for more info on this.
But the most important way to get people voting is by communicating with them, directly. We call this “relational GOTV”, which just means contacting friends and family about voting. You can do this by whatever channel makes the most sense - text, a chat over dinner, making a younger sibling deliver a gilded envelope...whatever. And the research shows it works better than just about anything else. People trust a recommendation when it comes from a familiar source. That new restaurant in town? You can ignore ad after ad, but if a friend says it’s great, you’ll probably give it a try.
WANT TO ACTUALLY GET OUT THE VOTE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
This means that the most important person for Wyoming GOTV work is you. Share out our commit to vote page with folks you know, and talk to them about voting! This page has all the details they need to connect issues to offices, and to navigate the system successfully. And, more importantly...it’s something you can get them to send out to their family and friends!
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