Approach
We could see the headwinds we were heading into in early 2024: the coalition that elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020 included groups – primarily young voters – who were not as likely to show up in the same numbers. The approach: activate these voters on climate change and environmental protection as a way to inspire them to turn out.
Utilizing volunteer energy and voter file data in key states and districts, we took a phased approach to the election:
- Phase I: Voter ID + Education (Jun-Aug): Identify climate voters from the voter file early and seed pro-environmental voting messages; use data collected to segment future rounds of outreach.
- Phase II: Voter Registration (Sept): Push voter registration (and mail-in ballots where applicable) to prepare for GOTV and ballot chase.
- Phase III: GOTV (Oct-Nov): Leverage volunteer energy and accumulated data and learnings in service of a final GOTV and ballot chase effort.
Volunteers, cultivated through years of long term organizing, sent P2P text messages and wrote letters to potential voters in key states. A phone banking pilot provided another touch for voters in key states, building on the best practice of a layered approach to voter outreach.
