How to Get Out the Vote?

Hi Deana, It’s me again haha.

I can share with you testimony of how I got my vote out, and managed to win a grassroots campaign against all odds in 2016. Not to mention when I ran — and won — at UCSB for my Senate campaign. This is not to brag, I merely want to illustrate that the success rate of these easily adoptable strategies is, for me at least, thus far untarnished. I hope you see the same success!

1) Logistics count.

Be prepared to do some spending, and use social media to the fullest extent possible.

2) As you may well know, political science suggests that shorter messages with broad appeal work the best; so avoid too much bias in your Ads unless microtargeting.

3) Canvassing is the next biggest thing. Start segmenting your population into voting likelihood’s, and amass a team ready to go door to door in the days leading up to an election. This will require significant effort, probably some fence hopping into apartments (which I don’t condone of course wink wink), and a logistics coordination effort that is sure to be a headache.

4) You will be greeted with frowns; never return them. Colleges tend to be more forgiving with regards to this.

5) Keep messaging concise, and don’t stray from the point into political debates with voters. This is a waste of time (and therefore cash) and a great way to open yourself up to attacks, hurt, and lost opportunities for your own personal candidate.

6) Have fun with this! You’re doing a great service to your community, your nation, and, even if they won’t admit it, you’re peers as well.

I am a former organizer for the DSCC who campaigned for Senator Tester (D-MT) against former Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT). We beat Burns with U of Montana students who knocked doors and called every voter possible in Missoula, MT's most liberal city. They were not told to vote for Tester, they were simply reminded constantly to vote. Democrats win elections where more than 45% of voters get out, so reminding everyone to vote will benefit Democrats more than Republicans. "Please vote" is something you can tell someone before they close the door or hang up the phone.

To get the youth to vote, they must understand how the process works in its varying forms from friends voting on where to hang out to how a president is elected. If they were witness to the recent election, they need to understand how popularity doesn't necessarily mean victory. The topic has to be something that directly affects them or their families; and something they care about. Learn about them and their interests, then approach/speak to them on that level.