How to Create a Get Out the Vote Campaign That Inspires Action

January 11, 2024

By: Lauren Stewart

The 2024 Election will likely be one of the most consequential votes in our lifetime. But public enthusiasm over the marquee contest on the ballot — a potential Biden-Trump rematch — is alarmingly low, especially among younger voters.
 
For organizations working to increase civic engagement and protect democracy, this trend spells trouble.
 
But there are ways to encourage those who would otherwise stay home on Election Day to show up at the polls.
 
That’s a lesson we learned through our work partnering with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in Connecticut to develop nonpartisan, bilingual Get Out the Vote media campaigns during the 2022 and 2023 election cycles.
 
We’re especially proud of the campaign’s results during the recently completed 2023 election — an off-year contest that didn’t feature any high-profile federal or statewide races.
 
With smart, catchy and focused messaging targeted at potential voters who traditionally tend to stay home on Election Day, we saw encouraging results.
 
Engagement with the campaign’s content and messaging out-paced several national benchmarks.
 
And in many of the communities that were targeted in the campaign, voter turnout was up.
 
These promising results caught the attention of Inside Philanthropy, which recently published an in-depth article highlighting the effort.
 
Here are three takeaways from the Fairfield County Get Out the Vote effort that you can apply to your own campaign in 2024:
 
Leverage the Power of Empowerment

When you cast your vote, you exercise power. But too many Americans believe that their votes don’t matter.

For Fairfield County’s campaign, we aimed to show how those who have traditionally been disenfranchised that the act of voting can make a difference.

The campaign’s tagline — Your Vote = Your Power — personalized the voting experience and made it relatable and inspiring for our target audiences.
 
Top Takeaway: By focusing on empowerment with our messaging, the campaign resonated with different demographics and connected with a wide range of voters. Whether it was a first-time voter, a seasoned participant or someone overcoming logistical challenges, conveying a sense that each individual can exercise their power through their vote directly addressed a key barrier to voting.

Amplify Diverse Voices

A big driver of voter apathy is a persistent sense that some communities are largely ignored or overlooked during Election season. To address this concern, we focused on presenting messaging and imagery that would specifically resonate with people who may have felt disenfranchised in past elections. This included prioritizing bilingual messaging, which ensured that Spanish-speaking residents were included in the conversation.
 
Top Takeaway: In a world where some forces are trying to erect barriers that prevent people from voting, you can fight back by prioritizing inviting and inclusive messaging that makes it clear that every eligible voter deserves the opportunity to cast their ballots.

Digital Platforms as Catalysts for Change

We knew from the get-go that to drive engagement, we had to meet people where they were. And in today’s world that means connecting via social media and other digital platforms. Yet it’s not enough to create a generic post and hope for the best. So we were deliberate in creating content that would resonate with target audiences as well as making social media and digital ad buys that had the best chance to connect with the types of people we wanted to reach to foster engagement and build community.
 
Top Takeaway: Embrace technology not only as a communications tool but also a bridge to connect people to their civic responsibilities and community aspirations.
 
Launching a Get Out The Vote media campaign goes beyond encouraging individuals to cast their ballots: it's about building a culture of active citizenship.
 
The lessons learned along the way underscore the importance of authenticity, adaptability and the collective strength that arises when communities unite to shape the future of their democracy. 

Considering a GOTV campaign? We invite you to check out some key elements of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s effort.