Low voter turnout in American elections is a chronic issue that has filled the pages of many political science textbooks and editorial pages for several decades. This is especially true for midterm elections and among younger voters. In the last midterm election, which as in 2014, only one out of six voters under the age of 30 voted. This election season, efforts to recruit younger voters bring lessons nonprofits and socially responsible companies can learn to engage people in their causes.
Use humor
Laughter can be the best medicine for inactivity. It delivers the message in a nonthreatening yet memorable way. It’s the spoon full of sugar approach. There have been some excellent examples of humor used to inspire millennials to get out and vote. The U.S. Vote Foundation’s The Big Deal video features a nosy aunt promising her niece never to comment on her social media posts again if she votes. ACRONYM’s “Rock the Vote” video reminds millennials that while young people may not vote, older voters always do.
Pick the right celebrity
Having someone like President Obama, Will Ferrell or Oprah on your side is good, but having Taylor Swift is even better. When the popular singer took to Instagram to urge people to vote, vote.org said nearly 102,000 Americans age 18-29 registered to vote in less than two days.
Target your audience where they area
Colleges are full of potential young voters. Several organizations have focused their efforts on campuses, whether they are urging students to register to vote at that location or to vote by absentee ballot. Vote Together put resources on their website to help people find or host events.
Make information easy to find
People who are uninformed about the issues are less likely to act. Connecting them with information helps. Several websites have been designed to do that including the League of Women voters’ site vote411.org and ballotready.org, which helps voters create a cheat sheet they can bring to the polls.
Create a status symbol for acting
The best example of this is the “I voted” sticker. Photos of people wearing them are popping up on all social media platforms. The sticker not only gives the person posting the halo effect of being involved, but it encourages their family and friends to do the same. Some restaurants in the Boston area are even offering ten percent discounts and other incentives to people who are wearing them.
No matter what your age or party affiliation, the message in 2018 is clear – get out and vote.
