Persuading Voters During Get Out the Vote
Certainly, you should tell a voter what they should do and the logistics surrounding voting: * When the polls open and close * Where their polling place is located * Who they should support in the upcoming election For some targeted voters, this is all they need, but if you appeal only to your logical supporters you are leaving a lot of votes on the table.
There are two ways to go engage voters otherwise.
One, you can add a persuasion message to your GOTV script.
Essentially, this means adding because "fill in the blank" to whatever you are currently considering communicating with targeted voters.
If your voicemail script says something like: "John Smith appreciates your support on Election Day, this Tuesday.
The polls open at seven am and close and eight pm.
Please remember to vote for Smith.
" You would explain why the voter should vote for Smith: "John Smith appreciates your support on Election Day, this Tuesday.
The polls open at seven am and close and eight pm.
Please remember to vote for Smith because our city is at the brink of financial disaster without him.
" As a campaign professional or a political activists, it's difficult to put yourself in the shoes of an average voter.
You're incline to think that the either the voter doesn't need a persuasion at this point in the race or you don't think well of voters and just want to tell them what to do without explaining what the candidate is all about for the ten thousandth time.
Resist these urges and never stop persuading voters.
It's critical to compelling them to act on Election Day.
In addition to using your usual persuasion message, you can also add a story into your GOTV scripts.
Remember our original, barebones voicemail script: "John Smith appreciates your support on Election Day, this Tuesday.
The polls open at seven am and close and eight pm.
Please remember to vote for Smith.
" What if you used this opportunity to communicate a story to voters that both motivates them to vote for your candidate and also provides them the logistical information that they need to vote? Perhaps your script would look something like this: "John Smith is a hometown boy who made it in business and came back to the city to restore fiscal discipline to Whoville.
Less than one percent of voters decided the last election for mayor in Whoville, so your vote could be the one who makes the difference for our community.
" Yes, the length of your script nearly doubles and so you can expect that it will take your volunteers or paid phone bankers a few more seconds to repeat your script to voice mails.
The upside to a compelling story like this, however, more than compensates for the addition time that it takes for volunteers to share it with voters.
There are two ways to go engage voters otherwise.
One, you can add a persuasion message to your GOTV script.
Essentially, this means adding because "fill in the blank" to whatever you are currently considering communicating with targeted voters.
If your voicemail script says something like: "John Smith appreciates your support on Election Day, this Tuesday.
The polls open at seven am and close and eight pm.
Please remember to vote for Smith.
" You would explain why the voter should vote for Smith: "John Smith appreciates your support on Election Day, this Tuesday.
The polls open at seven am and close and eight pm.
Please remember to vote for Smith because our city is at the brink of financial disaster without him.
" As a campaign professional or a political activists, it's difficult to put yourself in the shoes of an average voter.
You're incline to think that the either the voter doesn't need a persuasion at this point in the race or you don't think well of voters and just want to tell them what to do without explaining what the candidate is all about for the ten thousandth time.
Resist these urges and never stop persuading voters.
It's critical to compelling them to act on Election Day.
In addition to using your usual persuasion message, you can also add a story into your GOTV scripts.
Remember our original, barebones voicemail script: "John Smith appreciates your support on Election Day, this Tuesday.
The polls open at seven am and close and eight pm.
Please remember to vote for Smith.
" What if you used this opportunity to communicate a story to voters that both motivates them to vote for your candidate and also provides them the logistical information that they need to vote? Perhaps your script would look something like this: "John Smith is a hometown boy who made it in business and came back to the city to restore fiscal discipline to Whoville.
Less than one percent of voters decided the last election for mayor in Whoville, so your vote could be the one who makes the difference for our community.
" Yes, the length of your script nearly doubles and so you can expect that it will take your volunteers or paid phone bankers a few more seconds to repeat your script to voice mails.
The upside to a compelling story like this, however, more than compensates for the addition time that it takes for volunteers to share it with voters.