TALK OUT THE VOTE: How to Use “Relational Organizing” to Make Sure Everyone You Know Votes

by Rose Maura Lorre

It’s 2020 and the Democrats were poised to run the biggest ground game in American political history. The swell of grassroots organizing fueled by the 2016 election delivered big-time in the 2018 midterms and was shaping up to be even mightier this time around.

Then a pandemic hit. Now — as far as old-school door-knocking is concerned — there’s virtually no ground game at all.

But here’s a secret: Organizing is just a fancy word for “talking.” And “relational organizing” — talking to friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, and yes, even strangers — is something you can do even more effectively all by yourself.

That’s what fundraising consultant and SOMA Action trustee Jessica James taught SOMA Action members on September 15th in her Zoom tutorial, “Talk Out the Vote: Organizing Within Your Own Network.”

What makes relational organizing so impactful? Here are just two of James’ favorite, unbelievable-yet-true statistics: One, people are 22 times more likely to do something if asked by a friend or family member. Two, while phone-banking has a 12% contact rate — meaning, that’s how many folks will actually take your call — with relational organizing, it’s 71%.

How to “Cut Your Own Turf”

Normally, a canvasser walks into a field office and gets a packet of names and addresses from a frazzled twentysomething running on Dunkin’. Those packets are turf: Lists of voters living in the same neighborhood.

Instead of getting a list of strangers’ doors to knock on, relational organizing is about cutting your own turf by looking at your own networks of people.

How do you start? Divide your list of contacts — literally, everyone you have a name and contact info for — into three tiers, ranked by 1) their personal closeness to you, and 2) your knowledge of their political aptitude.

Your first tier contains “those closest to you, or someone who’s already really politically engaged,” James explains. The second is people you’re not that close to or maybe don’t have day-to-day contact with — or maybe you do, but politics never comes up. The third tier? Complete strangers (more on them later).

One caveat: Don’t split your list into swing state and non-swing state voters. “In every state, there’s a race that’s going to be completely critical in our ability to move past this,” James notes. “You also never know whose best friend lives in a swing state, whose kid is going to college in a swing state, etc.”

Give yourself a quota of reaching out to at least one contact a day and start a spreadsheet (HERE’s a sample!) to keep track. “You have to be systematic because a big part of your organizing will be followup,” James explains. “In this really crazy time, nothing happens without followup.”

The #1 Goal of Relational Organizing

Studies show that if someone says their voting plan out loud, the chances of them actually doing it increases sevenfold. So that’s your goal: To get your contacts to articulate and solidify their voting plans. (James says early voting in person is anyone’s best option, followed by mail-in voting and, lastly, in-person voting on Election Day.)

That means going beyond, “Yeah, I’m gonna vote.” As James notes, “That’s when you say, ‘Oh, are you going to do early voting, mail-in voting, ballot dropbox? What day? Which polling site? Which dropbox?’” (Bone up on different states’ voting options: Slate has a great guide HERE and The Washington Post has one HERE.) A few days later, follow up with, “Have you given any more thought to your voting plan?” Or even better, follow up with new info: “The ballot dropbox list is out. Which one are you gonna do?”

On paper, all that may sound annoying, but in practice, James insists it’s actually liberating. “Your coming to them gives them permission to say, ‘Actually, I don’t know how I’m going to vote this year,’” she explains. “You can’t underestimate the power of hearing from somebody you trust that they want you to vote and have good info about voting. It deputizes them with the ability to go out and do it.”

The Most Effective Ways to Reach Out

Phone calls are great; so are cards and postcards, especially if they feature your kids’ photos or drawings. Texting or DM’ing works if that’s how you normally keep in touch, especially with Tier 1 contacts. Remember, as James puts it, “People are lonely and want human connection. They do want to catch up. You’re both checking in on someone and you’re checking in on the most important election of our lifetimes.”

A Tier 1 contact (where you don’t have to beat around the bush) can be as simple as replying to a baby pic from your sister in Montana with, “Cute! Are you guys registered to vote in Montana?” For Tier 2, consider calling and saying something like, “Hey, I just wanted to check in on you during this crazy time. You know, I’m also reaching out because I’m really invested in making sure everyone votes this year because the stakes are so high. I actually found a list of ballot dropboxes in your neighborhood that I thought maybe you’d want to share with your neighbors because there’s been so much misinformation out there.”

Still feeling shy? A nonprofit called Hand in Hand has a conversation guide HERE, or you can just go ahead and own that shyness. Try something like, “I know this is a little awkward, but the future of the world hinges on it, so can we talk about it for a few minutes?”

What not to do: Post on social media and call it a day. According to James, that’s the least effective relational-organizational strategy, because “the platforms’ algorithms will only direct your posts to people posting similar stuff.”

Crazy-Effective Ways to Talk Out the Vote With Strangers

How do you relationally organize with someone you don’t know? Simple, says James: “You just talk about it, anywhere you go.” Her firsthand examples include writing “Remember to vote!” on the memo line of checks, knocking on neighbors’ doors (especially if you have info to share on things like local dropboxes) and — her personal fave — wearing a “VOTE” mask whenever you’re out and about. (Buy one HERE from the female-run Resistance by Design and your money will go to groups like Fair Fight and Vote Run Lead.) “Having something on you that says ‘VOTE’ really helps start conversations,” James says. “You can truly talk to every person at the checkout counter by saying something like, ‘Just making sure you know how to vote!’ If they get mad, you move right along.”

Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone may not sound wheee!, but James knows that laughing along the way has got to be part of your game plan. “I know things feel very fragile right now and like maybe the system doesn’t work, but trust the process and hold onto that trust for a few more weeks,” she recommends. “If everybody is talking to 10 people, that’s going to make a difference. If each of us gives more than we think we can, we can do this. We still have the most critical days to come. This matters. Every conversation you have matters. Just do it.”