Every election presents candidates with one fundamental challenge: getting voters to the polls. GOTV calls can easily make or break a campaign on Election Day. Be sure to make your GOTV calls as well crafted as can be.
Remembering these Do's and Don'ts can help your GOTV call get people to the polls:
Do’s:
Have multiple rounds of calling. Talking to someone more than once about voting makes it much more likely that they’ll get to the polls.
Have a conversation with the person. If a voter feels like they’re having a script read to them, then their attention will go elsewhere. Involving the person in the call makes sure their attention stays with you.
Ask them questions. Asking someone things like “Do you know when you’ll cast your ballot” gets them thinking about voting. Learn more about plan-making questions for GOTV Calls on our blog.
Get them to make a commitment to vote. This commitment can be used to remind them in later calls of their intent to vote.
Ask them to convince other people to vote. This increases the number of voters who go to the polls without increasing the amount of calls you have to make. Learn more about Adopt-A-Voter calls on our blog
Remind them about early voting. Giving the voter a larger time frame to vote makes voting seem easier.
Repeat the candidate’s name you’re calling for. This puts the candidate’s name in the voter’s mind and makes it more likely the voter will remember it.
Tell them you may be calling after the election to survey them. Even if you don’t plan to follow up with voters after the election, this puts some social pressure on the voter to make it to the polls.
Use Interactive Auto Calls. After a multitude of calls pushing information on them, push-button Automated Interactive calls allow the voter to participate more in the call. Check out our blog to learn more about Auto Interactive Calls.
Send more data than you have money for. We can put a budget cap in place for your calls, and if you receive a late donation, it will be easier to expand if we already have the data on hand.
Don’ts:
Don’t say “I’m calling.” The voter’s time is important, and they know that you’re calling since they’re on the phone with you!
Don’t think GOTV at the last minute is sufficient. Telling a voter to vote tomorrow doesn’t give them much time to plan for it in their day, and they’re more likely to ignore you. Starting early gives voters more time to make and carry out their voting plan.
Don’t ask too many questions. This turns voting into a chore for the voter and makes it less likely they will make it to the polls.
Don’t list everything on your group or candidate’s platform. It’s time-consuming, and some of the things you’re talking about might not matter to the voter.
Don’t use long sentences in the call. They will make the caller sound unnatural and difficult to follow.
GOTV doesn’t have to be stressful. With these tips and tricks, you’ll be ready to go when it’s time to start GOTV outreach. Contact Stones’ Phones today to get started!