6 Comms Tips for GOTV
Running for office takes a lot of courage and stamina. Within the last 30 days of the campaign, candidates often feel like they’re sprinting a marathon. And that’s because campaigns are trying to reach as many voters as possible within a constrained amount of time as Election Day gets closer.
There are a lot of components that make up a political campaign, but one of the most important is the effort to Get Out the Vote (GOTV) and turn support into votes at the ballot box. At its core, GOTV tactics drive people to support your campaign and cast a vote for you – whether it’s via mail, early voting or in person on Election Day.
For our team at Shannon Strategies, we’re focused on increasing the visibility of you – the candidate – and ensuring campaign messaging gets people to vote for you. Here are some communications tips for the final push of the campaign:
Get Voters to the Polls
Help voters make a plan. All GOTV efforts should ask people when and how they plan to vote. Update your scripts for canvassing, phone banking and text banking to include this information. Some questions to ask:
Do you know where to vote?
Do you need a ride to the polls?
Will work interfere with voting? Have you considered early voting?
What time will you reach the polling station?
Directing voters to an elections website is the most efficient way for them to find polling locations and candidates. Providing this information on your campaign website and social media pages with graphics is also helpful.
Leverage Your Supporters on Social Media
Encourage folks to show support by sharing why they are voting for you. If early voters have already cast their ballot, get them to post photos of their “I voted sticker” with a special campaign hashtag. Volunteers should amplify why they are spending time to get you elected on their personal social media. People are more likely to vote when they see their friends are doing the same thing, and the chances of them voting for YOU will be even greater.
Paid Media
Those ads should be running by now! We know campaign resources may be running low by this point, but maximize those dollars across social media and radio. Invest $100-200 in Facebook ads to reach voters in your district. If you haven’t already verified your account on Facebook, the next best option is to boost your most popular posts on Facebook and Instagram to increase visibility. Depending on your targeted audience size, you can get 500-1,000+ views per day for only $25-50.
Radio is also a great option. It’s possible to run a few 30-second ads the weekend before the general election for $200-300 to help increase name recognition.
Earned Media
News outlets will be publishing election info for their audiences as well. Make sure newsrooms have an updated headshot and point of contact. It’s important that election coverage highlights your candidacy in the best light, especially when you win. And if you lose, you’ll still want to be spotlighted as a gracious candidate.
We advise all our candidates to draft press statements for victory and defeat prior to Election Day. Trust us. Drafting a press release may be one of the last things you’ll want to manage when results roll in. Go ahead and put a plan in place.
Election Day
Election Day is the most important day for GOTV. The work isn’t done until the polls close. Send email and text reminders to encourage supporters to vote.
There have been several occasions where our team has canvassed neighborhoods where voters were unaware of the election. We’ve even witnessed voters show up to their polling location undecided on who to vote for. Have those grip cards and that script ready on why you are the best candidate for the job.
Next, have a plan to post live updates on social media as you visit multiple polling locations on Election Day. We recommend having a handler with you to take photos and post as you greet voters.
Election Night
When polls close, know that you’ve given it your all. Congratulate yourself for making it to the finish line. Don’t forget – regardless of the outcome, your supporters will want to hear from you. Make sure you send out a statement via email or social media about your hard-fought campaign.