How To Run A Robust Early Vote Phone Program: Electing The First Latina Senator

In competitive races, early voting turnout can determine the outcome. Since 2020, early voting has surged in popularity, making it a critical component of successful campaigns. Waiting until Election Day is risky. Voters might get tied up with last-minute obligations, face long lines, or run into issues with their registration or ID that they can’t fix before polls close. The most reliable way to secure your supporters' votes is to get them to cast their ballots early and a strategic phone program is key to making this happen.

Phone Programs Drive Early Vote Turnout

Phones are one of the most effective tools to boost early vote turnout if used strategically. Start by targeting voters who have a history of voting early. With the right data, you can reach the people most likely to act on your message. Don’t wait; engage voters early in the cycle to gauge support, persuade those on the fence, and build your GOTV list.

Layer Your Tactics for the Most Impact

Reaching voters across multiple channels increases the chance they’ll follow through. Use Live ID calls to identify supporters and find who needs more persuasion. This feedback helps sharpen your message and focus your resources.

When it’s time to mobilize your GOTV universe, choose the right tools for the job. Texting is a fast, direct way to share where to find polling locations, voting hours, and ID requirements. To reach both landlines and cell phones with a personal touch, use Cell Phone-Friendly Auto Calls. These allow you to quickly reach a large audience with the authenticity of a live voice to drive your message home when it matters most.

Prompt voters to solidify their voting plan with Live GOTV Calls with a Planmaking Question. This gets voters thinking about their plan to vote and increases the likelihood that they will follow through.

Electing the First Latina Senator

In 2016, Stones’ Phones oversaw a Pollie Award-winning phone campaign to turn out record numbers of early voters in a tight Nevada Senate race. It was projected to be among the closest in the country, with Republican Joe Heck enjoying a slight advantage over Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto. We needed historic Democratic turnout, in particular Latino voters, to keep this seat blue. Our base was largely working class, so they would benefit greatly from the flexibility of early voting.

Not all Democratic Senate campaigns chose to run an intensive paid phone program, relying instead on the volunteer base from the Presidential ticket. In this case, it paid dividends; phones made a difference in keeping Nevada blue.

Any successful paid phone program starts months before Election Day with Live ID calls. Initial polling led us to target white women and Latino voters. Even after modeling for support, we didn’t want any chance of turning out the wrong voters. We decided to run bilingual live calls in order to ID within the existing model to find supporters. This allowed us to create a specific GOTV universe.

Once we had identified 60,000 Latino GOTV targets, it was time for the main push: get as many votes as possible, as early as possible. We knew that getting Latinos to vote early would ease turnout concerns and allow us to refocus our targeting before Election Day on those who hadn’t yet voted. 

We focused on early vote chase using  Plan-Making GOTV calls. We ran three separate live call programs at the beginning, middle, and end of the two-week early vote window. Messaging focused on the importance and logistics of getting to the polls to vote. We also used texting to highlight President Obama’s endorsement of Cortez Masto.

We began the early vote period with 60,000 GOTV targets; after just 2 weeks, fewer than 1,000 targets had yet to cast a ballot. 

Cortez Masto’s 2.4% win over Heck – a wider spread than expected – was ultimately boosted by record Latino turnout in the state, and our robust phone program was vital to this success. We’re proud to have helped elect our country’s first Latina Senator, and we didn’t stop there!

Protecting Reproductive Rights in Nevada

When Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom launched their campaign to pass Question 6 in 2024—a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution—they knew the stakes were high. Success would require a broad, motivated coalition with a smart, disciplined turnout strategy to match.

That’s where Stones’ Phones came in. 

We kicked off with a massive Live ID program—calling nearly 300,000 voters with a two-question script designed to both persuade and plan. First, we delivered a strong message: Question 6 would protect private medical decisions from political interference. Then we asked whether they planned to vote “Yes” on Question 6. Those who said yes received a critical follow-up: Did they plan to vote by mail, early in person, or on Election Day?

This second question was strategic. The voters’ answers allowed us to deliver customized messaging with voting details specific to their plan. Early voters got mail ballot instructions and early voting site info. Election Day voters received polling locations and hours.

From these calls, we identified over 62,000 voters who said they planned to vote early. The goal was to lock in their votes before Election Day chaos could get in the way. We sent two carefully timed reminder texts ahead of the early voting deadline. These reminders combined urgency with social pressure, featuring the message: “Our records show that you have not voted yet.” Respondents got an instant link to find their nearest early vote location.

The results were clear; our calls and texts didn’t just identify support, they moved voters to action. The messaging gave them a reason to vote, and the follow-ups made sure they knew exactly how.

In a year when reproductive freedom was on the ballot, it wasn’t enough to hope voters would show up on Election Day. We needed a plan to get them there early and a strategy to follow through. This layered approach helped fuel the historic passage of Question 6 and secured reproductive protections for Nevadans across the state.

Stones’ Phones has the experience and expertise to build a winning Early Voting phone plan tailored to your campaign. Reach out to us today to get started!

Stones’ Phones and the Catherine Cortez Masto campaign won Gold at the Pollie Awards for Best Overall Phone Campaign.