To flip, defend, and upgrade more seats, campaigns must become an act of service.
Progressive candidates can lead newcomers further into civic engagement by delivering value, demystifying the process, and ditching past assumptions.
Most Americans don’t participate in all elections, but it’s not necessarily their fault. I’ve been studying the issue of low turnout for years — both from the perspective of laws and tactics meant to suppress votes, and more recently through a realization that traditional political campaigns marginalize certain audiences by default.
In New York’s 12th Congressional District, the district I’m running in, 92% of eligible voters don’t take part in every election. At first glance this might seem like a registration or apathy issue, but it’s not. Over 180,000 in-district Dems of all ages cared enough to cast their ballot in the 2016 Presidential election. Earlier that same year, and within the same group of registered residents, only 16,000 made it out for their Congressional primary — and less than 2,500 of these participants were under the age of 50 (source: TargetSmart).
And it’s no surprise. Campaigns have limited time and limited resources, so they organize their outreach efforts and spending around those that are “most likely” to show up based on past participation. By only targeting “reliable” populations, they keep awareness of upcoming elections limited to a small number of participants time and time again.
In order to make progress, we need to dispense with the notion that some people are inherently “disinclined” to vote, and therefore undeserving of our engagement.
Officials aren’t elected only to represent the people that voted for them. It’s our responsibility to go above and beyond to find effective ways to reach the greatest number of people, ensuring the process of campaigning is as inclusive as possible.
Even among those already aware and involved, it’s hard to blame a missed election on constituents. If candidates and incumbents can’t run campaigns that inspire action among diverse groups of people — giving citizens good reasons to take a few minutes for a perfectly free (and fun!) activity to register their choice — those campaigns have failed. And from this truth is where we should start reflecting more as candidates, and broadly as Democrats:
Change doesn’t happen when we’re defensive, and it doesn’t happen when we blame others for not responding to our calls — it happens when we start from a place of vulnerability and inquiry.
To some extent, my campaign for Congress is an inquiry into the drivers and barriers to voting, because I feel that a truly representative Representative ought to make it their mission to expand the electorate to include everyone in his/her district. To find unity, offer clarity, and nurture common ties.
Because of this, we’re approaching our campaign as a public service — one that makes civics more accessible and demystifies the political process for those newly awakening to their responsibilities of citizenship.
Our campaign promises to always challenge what’s typical. To assume our neighbors are intelligent, curious and open. To inspire all communities, rather than a few. To deliver value in every interaction. To be transparent about our process, and to use digital tools ethically, as a means to build accessible on-ramps for civic engagement.
And it’s not just for academics. We believe the only way to truly change our representation is to make a substantive change to who’s voting in America. If political campaigns become a mechanism to bring in new voices, create more choices, and infuse the country’s politics with new energy from both directions, we’ll leave proud of what we accomplish for the next generation.
Here’s what a campaign playbook might look like if we aim to add value to everyone, not just candidates or “likely” voters:
- Talk to everyone:
- Rather than use past voting records to identify and target only “likely” voters, assume anyone will participate if given good reasons to.
- Every person must be treated like they count — it’s our job to empower people with actionable information.
2. Stay accessible:
- Commit to using everyday language to demystify politics and talk about complicated topics in simple ways.
- Be yourself, be transparent, and let personality shine—authenticity creates more safe spaces for others to comfortably participate.
3. Keep it positive:
- Ditch messages that are defensive or too negative—keeping people in a state of anxiety/fear is predatory, and causes many to tune out.
- Focus on the future, talk about what’s possible, rally around solutions instead of just the problems, ask “why not?” when others ask “why?”
4. Add value:
- Team up with non-political communities to start open and relatable conversations about democracy in the context of our own lives.
- Know when to pass the mic—this isn’t only just about the candidate. Give others a platform to share their experiences and ideas.
5. Have fun:
- Make an effort to meet people where they already go to socialize and collaborate, engaging them as friends and peers.
- Entertain and inform with fun events, videos, and other experiences that break down barriers and welcome new faces.
We plan to document and share more of our campaign’s approach and the tactics we try along the way, openly discussing successes and failures until we figure out better ways to build a new electorate.
Our hunch? If our passion, excitement, and love for this process is always evident, others will fall in love too.
P.S. If you’re also running, managing a campaign, or just want to help boost civic engagement in America, send us an email and we’ll add you to our collaborative Slack channel with others who are looking to push the boundaries of political discourse: hello@surajpatel.nyc.
