5 Calls 2018 Midterm Challenge Week 1: Commit to Vote

Hello and welcome to the 5 Calls 2018 Midterm Challenge!

This week’s challenge is… COMMIT TO VOTE

Yes, we know you are already definitely FOR SURE going to vote*…But your challenge for this week is about more than that. This week, you will start putting yourself out there to get warmed up on advocacy and get your friends mobilized to vote. How?

Here’s your step-by-step guide:

1. JOIN IN — Sign up for the 5 Calls newsletter [here] to get each week’s challenge in your inbox, and make sure you are signed into your 5 Calls account [here] so you can track your successes!
2. RECRUIT OTHERS — Get 5 friends, coworkers, or family members to join this challenge. Remember, peer-to-peer recommendations are the most compelling way to get people involved. The more people working on the 2018 Midterm Challenge, the bigger our overall impact will be.
3. PRACTICE ADVOCACY — You’re about to start talking to people about important things you care about, so warm up your voice by using the 5 Calls website or app [download here from Google or Apple] to pick 1 issue and call your representatives. This is an easy, but impactful, way to practice advocating for something (like, for example, VOTING).
4. COMMIT TO VOTE* — Make a public commitment to vote. Why are you going to vote in November? Take a few minutes to write it down and then tell people about it by posting on Facebook or Twitter AND talking to at least 3 people in person. This helps with your own accountability (hey, stuff does come up and you may just need that extra push) and also builds momentum with others, as it reminds them why they should vote too!
5. SHARE YOUR SUCCESS — Make sure you are logged into your 5 Calls account and then click “I did it” to record your success in this week’s challenge. Then, follow the prompts to tell everyone on social media what you accomplished, using the hashtags #MidtermChallenge and #ImAMidtermVoter. This will not only help build momentum for yourself but also within your network.

See, that wasn’t too bad, was it? Nice work.

Your hint for next week’s challenge is “fight the purge”… See you Monday!

*If for whatever reason you are NOT able to vote, talk about why you wish you could, and how important others’ votes will be to you. Don’t be discouraged; remember — our focus is motivating others to vote and you can absolutely do that, regardless of your individual voting status.

And our weekly reminder — 5 Calls is a volunteer-run non-profit. We appreciate your support!

More Details on Challenge Design and Supporting Data

Why did we ask you to practice advocacy by calling your reps? For one thing, being a representative means they are supposed to represent YOU, and they won’t know what you want unless you tell them. But, why phone calls? Why not emails, faxes, etc? Because phone calls are hands down the most effective way of motivating your reps on urgent issues. And, importantly for the purposes of this challenge —unlike a one-way communicating like email or fax, phone calls get you used to having a real-time conversation with someone in order to motivate them to do something. And the research is clear that personal conversations are extremely motivating in Get Out The Vote efforts. See more here.

Why did we ask you to publicly commit to vote? Because accountability doesn’t just help you, it adds to the overall momentum. The more people see others voting, the more voting becomes a “social norm” and the more pressure people feel around making sure they too join in. Worried that being super enthusiastic about voting makes others think this will be a high turnout election and they can afford to sit this one out? Studies that compared messages about low voter turnout vs high voter turnout have found that high voter turnout messages are more motivating, perhaps because it triggers a healthy sense of competition.

Why did we ask you to talk with people about your voting commitment? Because it’s not just the content of the message (“I’m going to vote and here’s why!”), it’s the way you communicate it — study after study has shown that a back and forth conversation is the most compelling way to motivate voters. More here.

Why did we ask you to recruit others to this challenge? Because it’s the right thing to do, obviously. But in all seriousness, it’s because we want you to succeed in your activism goals, and once you recruit, you will have a “team” to motivate and encourage each other. We know that you know other people that are looking for a way to get involved for the 2018 midterms — help them out by pointing them our way.

Any other questions? Ask us!