Effective Ways to Maximize Election Awareness and Engagement

Voter participation is often considered the biggest challenge in any election. High voter turnout indicates your members’ deep-rootedness in the organization. It also helps prove an election’s credibility, which is a good sign of progress for an organization.

At Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS), we provide solutions to help various groups and institutions conduct successful elections. We partner with leading Associations, Member-based Organizations, Cooperatives, and Unions to address voting needs. As industry experts, we know how to increase election participation through innovative methods. 

Capitalize on Social Media

Social media has moved beyond buzzwords to become extremely influential in everything from marketing to communications. What was once the domain of a younger, more tech-savvy generation has crossed demographic boundaries and is now commonly used by most Internet users.

Approximately 70% of Americans actively use social media, positioning it as a significant tool for companies to increase voter participation. Social media’s sharing services make it easier to disseminate election information to your voting members. These free and powerful platforms help you raise election awareness by:

• Encouraging increased engagement. Identify which social platforms appeal to your voting members and engage them where they already are. Over time, you can build an online presence across multiple channels.
• Generating comments and feedback. Social media provides an avenue for members to share their opinions, whether about the elections or not. Make your organization a part of the conversation by acknowledging compliments and accepting criticisms from members to let them know they’re being heard. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of social media in elections.

Make Your Campaign Personal

You can boost voter turnout by campaigning directly to your members. Addressing them personally in your campaign messaging will make them feel welcome to participate in the elections. A few ways you can do this include:

• Grouping voters into categories and creating relevant content. Understanding your voting demographics makes it easier to create messaging that is relevant and relatable to them.
• Sending out personalized emails or letters. Establish a connection with the reader — your voter — by including their name at the beginning of your messages.
• Using personal language in your materials. Aside from knowing the interests of your target audience, engage with them directly by addressing them in your election materials.

Follow Election Marketing Best Practices

You can implement these techniques to help increase election engagement.

1. Strategy

Formulate an effective marketing plan to ensure your campaign runs smoothly and stays within budget. You can strategize using:

• Email list verification. Identify members you cannot reach via email and develop strategies to loop them back in, such as using an email list verification tool. Our election management software, SBSHub, helps ensure email validity by providing admins with a complete list of bounced and unsubscribed email addresses, making it easier to identify and address delivery issues.
• Email collection. Use ballots to get updated contact information. We can help streamline this process:
  • For electronic ballots, members are prompted to provide an email address to receive a submission confirmation.
  • For paper ballots, members can opt-in to receive future voting materials electronically by writing in their email address. If the email they provide differs from your records, we share the updated information to help you keep your database accurate.
• Voter surveys. Collect information about voting habits to help understand your voting population better.

2. Content

Include relevant content in your campaign and market it creatively using:

• Website banners. Redirect members to the ballot login page by adding clickable banners on your homepage.
• Election landing pages. Build a centralized page for all election-related information, such as election dates, voting locations, and information on candidates.
• Videos. Raise election awareness and encourage voter participation through engaging videos aimed at eligible voters.

3. Outreach 

Push content to your voting members as part of your outreach efforts, which may include:

• Social media management. Promote election information across various social media platforms, tailoring your reach based on member preference and usage.
• Email promotions. Email members with actionable steps to complete their ballot. If the election is online, consider adding embedded login links to make voting more convenient and accessible.
• Get-out-the-vote (GOTV) messaging. Design consistent GOTV material to send a unified message to members about the importance of the elections and their participation.

Increase Voter Participation With SBS

SBS is here to help you connect with your organization’s members through surveys and elections. Contact us to learn more about our range of solutions and supplemental services.