5 Calls 2018 Midterm Challenge Week 5: Plan a Voting Party
Welcome back! In our first four weeks, you laid the foundation for you and your friends to successfully vote and helped swing a key race (if this is your first visit, catch up via our Midterm Challenge Introduction and previous challenges here).
And if you’re looking for a little extra encouragement and motivation, make sure to sign up for MoveOn’s Sunday evening calls from now until the Midterms. Next Sunday’s call (October 28) will feature Senator Bernie Sanders, MoveOn’s Election Program Director Rahna Epting, and more.
Now, it’s time to reorient back to you and your voting plan. The good news is that you already know you are registered to vote and how you are going to vote. It’s time to get specific: when, where, and how...and with whom.
1. MAKE YOUR PERSONAL PLAN — Go to the League of Women Voter’s excellent voter education website to see your voting options and requirements based on which state you live in. Then write down your plan using the following template:
I am voting by mail and I will mail my ballot by [specific date before Nov 6].
or
I am voting in-person and I will vote on Nov 6 [or earlier date if voting early*] at [specific time, e.g., 8:30am, before work]. I will vote at [address of your polling location] and I will get there by [car/bus/walk/friend, etc.]. I will bring with me [any state-specific requirements, like photo ID] and I will go to the polling location with [name of family or friend if you plan to vote with someone].
*When making your voting plan, consider voting early. You can find out if your state offers early voting (most states do) with this handy guide.
2. CALENDAR IT — That’s right, literally put it on your calendar (physical or virtual). Create a calendar event called “Vote!” that includes the plan you made above (date, time, location, notes on requirements).
3. MAKE IT SOCIAL — Using either Evite or Facebook Events, invite your friends to vote. Add local and distant friends to your “Vote!” event and help them make their own voting plan. You can use the following template as a starting point for your event, along with your own personalized message:
Hi, as you know I’m determined to help get out the vote for the 2018 Midterms. I’m inviting you to this event so that we all make a plan to vote and help motivate each other.
Check out https://www.vote411.org/ to find out the specifics for your location — polling places, ID requirements, etc. Then make your personal plan to vote by answering the following questions and sharing them in the comments:
I am voting [by mail or in-person] on Nov 6 [or earlier date if voting early] at [specific time, e.g., 8:30am, before work].
I will vote at [address of your polling location] and I will get there by [car/bus/walk/friend, etc.]
I will bring with me [any state-specific requirements, like photo ID] and I will go to the polling location with [name of family or friend if you plan to vote with someone].
4. 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 #VotingParty. This will not only help build momentum for yourself but also within your network.
Alternate Option: If you cannot vote for whatever reason, skip Step #1 and begin with Step #2.
That’s it for this week — do a little shoulder shimmy and some jazz hands, then take a few moments to visualize the Blue Wave with you and your friends at the front of it, ready to vote.
Next week, we’re going to switch back to broader impact with GOTV…your hint is “walk the walk.”
And our weekly reminder — 5 Calls is a volunteer-run non-profit. We appreciate your support!
More Details on Challenge Design and Supporting Data
I’m going to vote! Why do I have to make a calendar invite? One study looked into how important it is to craft a plan (vs just committing to vote)— they compared voting behavior after participants were asked if they were planning to vote vs if they were planning to vote PLUS walked through making a logistical plan to do so (when, how, where). They found that making a plan was twice as effective as just asking about voting. And even if you are definitionly, 100%, for sure going to vote — remember you are also helping your friends do this by sending them the template.
Why do I have to rope my friends into this…isn’t it enough if I make my own plan? Of course it’s great to make your own plan — but that only helps you vote, and our goal here is to help you have a broader impact. The reason to engage with your friends on this is that research shows that personalized message to friends is very effective in GOTV (more so than personalized messages to strangers, like postcard campaigns). There are even results suggesting that this GOTV impact spreads within social networks, meaning that if you motivate a friend, the friends of that friend are more likely to vote.
