At this stage in the campaign, your focus should be entirely on getting voters to show up and cast their ballot – whether by mail, early, or on Election Day. Midterms are won on turnout, not persuasion. One more argument, fact or policy isn’t going to motivate the presidential year only voter to show up.
These voters are Spectators and Outsiders. For them, whether or not they cast a ballot is a matter of convenience – does it fit in their schedule? They also happen to be the hardest to reach, so what can your campaign do?
Who They Are
Infrequent voters aren’t like us. Spectators see political content all day in their feeds but it’s not motivating them to vote. Outsiders barely see any news at all. Either way, news reaches them by accident so they may not even be aware that an election – competitive or otherwise – is happening.
They also tend to be younger, where the habit of voting isn’t well established. They likely take cues from friends and family for civic engagement. This isn’t about sending one more email to your list or posting an extra reminder.
Borrow Credibility
The way to reach an infrequent voter is with a message from someone they know. Relational organizing is the proven tactic to mobilize your existing supporters to reach their friends and family. A text from a number they saved is going to get seen and read more than one from an unsaved one.
You can also empower your supporters to send content into group chats or create their own content. The nudge that turns out an infrequent voter is going to come from someone they already trust. It’s not another piece of mail or an ad.
Plan To Vote
The ask is more than simply voting. They need a plan that includes clear directions and reminders. For an infrequent voter that hasn’t built the habit, their early voting and election day locations are probably places they’ve maybe only visited once before. The more you can set their expectations, the more likely they are to follow through.
We know that establishing a plan is proven to boost turnout and these tools make it possible.
Conclusion
What you’ve been doing for the last few months to recruit and mobilize supporters and persuade frequent voters isn’t going to work for the voters who will decide the outcome this year. They are hard to reach and need to hear from someone they already trust. It’s the hard work that wins elections.
But the good news is that turning them out this year helps move them closer to being a more frequent, habitual voter in the future.