Winning Elections Is About Getting Voters To Take Action

For some, politics and the issues that come with it can be a daunting and confusing topic. It can be difficult to know what is going on at the state or federal level, let alone in your own community. However, by voting in local elections, people have the opportunity to have their voice heard where it matters most – directly in local government.

Winning local elections is about convincing people who don’t typically vote to take action.

Many local elections have a short cycle, typically lasting only a few weeks. Turnout rates can be low due to lack of information about candidates on the ballot or because voters don’t feel like their voice actually matters.

It can be a challenge to even get your own supporters out to the polls.

So, how do you reach valuable but apathetic voters? You are going to need a get out the vote effort.

Local elections are all about getting out the vote

One reason incumbents tend to have an electoral advantage is that they often have an established base that regularly votes. If you are a challenger or a new candidate on the scene, you have your work cut out for you.

A study from 2013 on one hundred and forty-four mayoral elections found that in many cities, mayors were elected with single-digit margin. The study found that average voter turnout per city was just 25.8%.

With margins of victory that slim, getting as many supporters to mail in a ballot or show up at the voting booth makes all the difference in winning an election.

For example, in our own area, there was a housing development issue in a small local municipality. A political newcomer challenged an incumbent mayor who had been in office for over a decade. The newcomer ran a traditional campaign with some yard signs and newspaper ads. She was against the new housing project that had been recently proposed but did not run heavily on that specific issue.

She lost the election. Decisively.

This was an off-year, local election with a low turnout. The incumbent was popular and had a solid, predictable base of senior voters. He didn’t even campaign that hard and still won about two-thirds of the vote. On the surface, it was a solid victory.

Yet, the margin of victory was only about 200 out of 600 votes cast. This is in a municipality with over 3200 eligible voters.

So, what could have provided the challenger with another 200 votes? The answer is pretty simple – a higher voter turnout.

Remember that housing development?

It turns out that the new development was going to be built beside an existing subdivision. In that area, there were 150 households that would be directly affected by the construction. Most of those homeowners were not happy about the situation. Some had turned out at local board meetings to oppose the initial plan.

If a majority of voters in just that subdivision had turned out and voted, the challenger would have won the election.

Unfortunately, the candidate did not reach out to specific neighborhoods. She could have gone door to door and/or sent targeted mailings to those households. Addressing the construction issue and promising to do something for those specific residents would have motivated a large number of otherwise apathetic voters to show up on Election Day.

“All politics is local.” – Thomas P. O’Neill

Turnout is key for winning elections

If you can identify potential supporters and focus on an issue important to them, they can be turned into a motivated voter block.

In the age of social media, people are connecting online more than ever before. This has become a trend in local politics as well. In the past, candidates would have to reach out to voters in person, but now they can connect with all voters, even those who do not follow local politics. Social media has made it easier to reach out to their audience and provide them with a more personal messaging.

Social media is a great tool for outreach, but it’s limited without a paid advertising budget. You can reach voters through Pay-Per-Click for relevant issue keywords, targeted Facebook advertising based on location or demographics, texting, and even direct household IP targeting.

People pay attention to things that interest them. Targeted advertising that addresses personal concerns can motivate people to action.

Rounding up supporters who don’t follow politics

Local elections (and local primaries) are typically low-turnout affairs, but when they are decided by only a handful of votes, you need increase turnout.

Traditional methods for increased turnout include driving people to the polling locations to help them vote.

Many states allow no-excuse absentee voting, which means that all you need to do is request an absentee ballot and return it to your county elections office. This option can be especially beneficial for people who cannot make it to the polls on Election Day due to work, school or other commitments. Any way your campaign can help facilitate through website information and outreach can boost your numbers.

To create your own voting bloc, find people directly affected by an issue that your campaign addresses. Then create a solid GOTV strategy to have them to take action on Election Day.