Moving America Forward
Voter Registration and VBM Recruitment Calls
The Problem
Moving America Forward was started by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson in an effort to boost the electoral participation of Latinos in the Western United States during the 2004 election. The Republican Party had been making significant inroads with this important and ever growing demographic. Governor Richardson believed that increasing participation among this traditionally Democratic constituency would simultaneously boost the influence of Latino Americans in many in this area of the country including Senator John Kerry's Presidential campaign.
The Stones' Phones Solution
To increase Democratic participation among Latinos, Stones' Phones and Moving America Forward planned an extensive voter registration and vote by mail (VBM) recruitment program targeting unregistered citizens and infrequent Latino voters in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada. We used automated calls in Governor Richardson's voice asking unregistered Latino voters if they would like Moving America Forward to send them a voter registration card in the mail. We also broadcast live GOTV calls to these newly registered voters and other infrequent Latino voters to encourage this important demographic to use their voting power and make their voices heard.
The Result
By Election Day, 2004, Moving America Forward had registered more than 150,000 new American Indian and Latino voters in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada and turned out nearly three-quarters of a million voters to the polls. These voters helped capture 53% of the Latino presidential vote for Senator John Kerry. The personal touch of an extensive phone program gave Moving America Forward the edge they needed to recruit and empower the large community they were targeting.