What Motivates People to Vote?

Have you ever had a friend, family member, or colleague ask you to do something that was meaningful to them? Did you say yes? If you're like most people, you did--because it's human nature to want to help the people we like.

Now, how many times has a complete stranger motivated you enough to take any kind of action? For most people this has happened a handful of times, but never to the same extent as when we are asked by the people we feel closest to-- the people whose value we share.

Personal contact increases voter turnout

One study from Columbia University's Data Science Institute found mass text message campaigns conducted by field organizers increase turnout by 0.29%, yet when individuals were messaged by friends they were 8.3% more likely to cast a vote. (Read more from Impactive)

We only had around 600,000 people vote in our primary elections this June. That's around 27% of the estimated 2.2 million Oklahomans registered at that time. Only about 50% of registered Oklahomans voted in 2020. We have to try everything we can to get more people to the polls.

We must remind the people we hope to mobilize, how meaningful voting is. We can do that by telling them how our lives will be personally affected by the policies of the winning candidate, and asking them if they will help us fight for a future built on the values we share.

What can you do?

Make a list and start texting/calling your friends to encourage them to make a voting plan and vote for the candidates that share your values!

You can use the document below to brainstorm. This post and document were based on trainings and information from the NDTC and Impactive.

Relational Organizing NAFC 102022

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