Voting by mail has become more common during the pandemic. Your campaign should be keeping track of the early voting & vote by mail options and deadlines in order to provide your voters with all the safe and convenient options available to them. Here are a couple of best practices:
First, figure out who is in your “Vote By Mail” Universe. If current law allows everyone to vote by mail, your VBM universe should be everyone in your GOTV (get out the vote) universe. Note that vote-by-mail eligibility and rules may change between now and the 2022 election cycle.
Next, reach your targeted voter universe in two phases:
- Education and Application Phase
- Support voters to apply to vote by mail. You can start the conversation by asking them if they have a plan to vote.
- Make sure voters understand the process.
- Mail them a vote by mail application with a clear deadline for when to turn it in. Use social pressure language like “I’ve been talking to our neighbors and everyone is voting” or “It’s going to be an exciting race, and every vote counts!”
- Record when a voter is planning to submit their application so that you can follow up with them
- Ballot Chase Phase
- Follow up with voters who told you that they’re going to submit their application or mail their ballot by a certain date.
- Help people find the mailing address or the place where they can drop off their mail ballots
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