Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent in 2016 to persuade people to vote. Even so, 40% didn’t. Some of those people are surely in your own social circles, but you may not realize it. It is even higher among progressively-inclined people with many more reluctantly voting.
Studies show that friends can cut through the barrage of messages and influence each other to vote. And with the very visible efforts at vote suppression this year, our connections with friends will be even more important.
We see this election as an opportunity to amplify the wave of discontent so the winner is not in doubt and so that the momentum and relationships continue into the future. We encourage you to relate voting to the issues that matter to you and your circle. That is how to build a movement. Putting our effort into the candidates and personalities is a recipe for disappointment and cynicism.
There will be a lot of people out there who will “should” on people in their social circle to vote. Instead, you can reach these less motivated people by being yourself and being their friend.
With that feeling, consider some of these actions, in your own way. These are ways to lead with yourself rather than your cause
Share each step you take in the voting process. Talk about what issues matter to you and why voting is important. If you’re on social media, consider elaborating with a picture, video or story. Here are potential steps to mark (and ways to elaborate/describe in social media post):
Verifying your registration (“It just took a few minutes”)
Requesting an absentee mail ballot (“I made sure to do it early.”)
Receiving the ballot (“It finally arrived. Yes!!”)
Voting (“I’m voting for us, not the politicians.”)
The after-vote (feature a picture with your ballot on your profile)
Bring up the subject of plans to vote or feelings about voting when hanging with friends. But don’t push it.
Guide some of your attention toward friends in the swing states
Support friends that say/do things related to voting (hearts and comments are best). And tell them about circlevoting.com to broaden their reach.
When issues that matter to you come up in conversations, you can connect them to voting.
Offer to be a resource to your circle (help with the details of voting, assist on election day, talk about alienation from the system. help address fears around registration, government or feeling powerless).
Get our newsletter for more tips and resources.
Come to a Zoom group for support and ideas.
Just remember: When you’re being yourself, you’re part of something larger than you. You’re part of a movement of progressively minded people who want to put pressure on politicians. The more you talk about what matters to you, the more power you can help generate to change the system.