Catch and Release: A New Way to Do GOTV

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Can you imagine picking up the phone and hearing your own voice remind you to get out and vote?

By using a Story Capture program we call “Catch and Release”, your campaign or organization is able use the previously recorded voices of the voters in personalized GOTV calls.

How it works

Before the election we send out an auto-interactive call or a live call that asks voters in your GOTV universe if they would like to record a message saying why they think it is important to vote.

Just before Election Day, we call those same voters back with a message:

“Hello, a few weeks ago you told us why it is important to vote in Tuesday’s election.  Here’s what you said…[Insert their recording] …I hope we can count on you to vote on Tuesday.”

Those who didn’t record a personal message will hear a compilation of people in their district who did.

Here’s what we played for the people who didn’t record a message:

Listen here:


What are people saying? The biggest messages we’re seeing in these calls are: Voting is a civic duty You cannot complain about who is in office if you don’t vote Older generations couldn’t vote so we have to People died for this right and now we have to exercise it Does this actually work? Thanks to our research as well as studies by Analyst Institute, we know that social pressure has an important impact on increasing voter turnout. While this specific technique hasn’t been tested, we believe that one’s own voice has an equally significant effect. Our Story Capture technology brings the voices of voters into their neighbors’ homes to share why they will be voting.  That message is even more powerful when a voter picks up the phone and hears their own voice making the commitment to vote, because no matter how well a message is tested, nothing moves people like their own words. In the media Our Catch and Release program has been featured in a variety of national publications for the results they’re getting for our clients. “For Midterms, Betting on Feet and Good Aps” – The New York Times “For Planned Parenthood Votes and Americans for Prosperity in N.C., it’s all about the ground game” – The Washington Post “Both Parties Target Voters Who Skip Midterm Elections” – The Wall Street Journal “Outside groups, parties spend millions on N.C. turnout” – USA Today

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Blog Post Team June 26, 2023