According to a 2020 survey from the Knight Foundation, 29% of Americans whose main source of news is social media aren’t registered to vote. Your campaign has invested significant resources into social media marketing and, during the pandemic, it’s become a critical voter contact channel, but don’t forget to complete the process.
The only way your campaign will be victorious on Election Day is by earning the most votes. None of the hard work you’ve done engaging an audience, creating content, and following best practices with social media marketing matter if you’re not converting supporters to donors.
Here are four steps to get your social media followers ready to vote this Election.
Know Your Deadline
Most states have a voter registration deadline between one month and two weeks before Election Day. You can find your state’s date and additional details about the process here at Vote.org.
Treat your voter registration deadline as you would an end of quarter fundraising period. Your supporters – especially on social media – should be barraged with information about how to ensure they’re registered in time to vote for your candidate.
Send Supporters to Vote.GOP
The Republican National Committee’s Vote.GOP website should be your go-to landing page for all things voting. After a supporter enters their information, they can register, confirm their registration, request an absentee ballot, or find their polling place.
Reach out to your campaign’s contact at the national party to arrange a dedicated source code so you can receive data from users you send to the site.
Prepare to Answer Questions
Your election isn’t the only one on voters’ ballots this November. There could be dozens of other offices and ballot measures for your supporters to consider.
In your voter contact efforts, you will be asked about these other campaigns. While it may not be your focus, you have a duty to be helpful and informative at the moment you’re in touch with a voter. They may not hear from another campaign the rest of the election and, in their mind, you’re representative of all of them.
If your campaign doesn’t take a position on other races or ballot issues, you can still provide them information about who and what they’ll be voting on. BallotReady.org is one free resource that provides details on the more than 95,000 positions on the ballot in all 50 states.
Bookmark State and Local Election Websites
When it comes to voting, your campaign’s first job is to provide the most accurate information possible. There’s always last minute confusion around voting – some of it is spread intentionally – but this year, with expanded vote by mail in many areas, voters face even more uncertainty.
Candidates and their campaigns must be trusted, reliable voices when it comes to voting information. If you aren’t 100% certain about the answer you give to a supporter, direct them to your state or local election officials’ websites for up to date details.
When the votes are finally tallied after Election Day, the winner is NOT the campaign with the most followers or engagement on social media, but the candidate who earned the most votes. All of your social media marketing efforts this cycle have built to this moment, so make sure your supporters are registered to vote and get to the polls.
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