GOTV Events Explainer
Why GOTV Events Matter
Some events gather a large group of voters together in one place to get the word out about voting in your community. Other events can help you drive voters to the polls and increase turnout in your area. All GOTV events are great opportunities to help build your base for year round organizing, school board resolution work, and even for your next election.
The list of GOTV events below is not exhaustive, but it covers the main types of events you often come across. As long as you are careful to follow any c3/c4 regulations that may apply to you, there is no limit to the types of GOTV events you can create.
You can make these events as large or small as you’d like. They can include guest speakers to talk about the importance of voting generally or in this particular election, though you cannot include candidates or candidate’s representatives at this if you are running a c3 program.
If your polling location is close to your event you can march to your location as a group. Visually, this is a great way to also remind the rest of the community to vote. Be aware of your surroundings if you are planning to march as a group. If you live in a strongly anti-equity community, skip the march so you’re not reminding people who don’t support your issues.
If you are carpooling to your polling location make sure you have someone in charge of making sure everyone gets a ride. If your group has money, consider getting a bus to take everyone to the polls.
Voting events are great ways to make sure your supporters remember to vote and are also a potential press opportunity or a public interest story on voting.
Vote for Breakfast
Vote for Breakfast is an event where you gather together in a community room, a local restaurant with an event space, a taco truck in a parking lot, or someone’s home for an early breakfast to discuss why voting and this election matter. You will review what you need to bring with you to vote and then head over to a polling location to all get in line together. It works as an Election Day event, or as an event any morning during early vote.
Eat Pray Vote
Eat, Pray, Vote events involve breakfast after your religious service, conducting your voter education program, and going to vote as a group. These events work best if you have early voting or voting happening on the same day as a group’s religious service.
Early Vote Block Party
An Early Voting Block Party gathers people together at a block party, or at a park where you can BBQ, to put on your voter education program and then go as a group to vote. While this can take place on Election Day, it’s particularly useful as a weekend event during early voting.
Running to the Vote
Running to the Vote is an example of an event you can do with neighborhood interest groups.If there are groups that already meet in your community, particularly if you have members or volunteers who are active in the group(s), ask if you can join at the end of their regular meeting to talk voter education and then go vote as a group.
Post Card Parties
There are a number of ways to do a postcard party. The general idea behind them is that voters are far more likely to actually look at mail that has something handwritten on it. A quick note on a postcard, even if only part of the postcard is handwritten, will dramatically increase the chances voters will look at your mail piece, even if they tend to throw out election mail.
You can get a group of volunteers together in someone’s home or a community space and write postcards to newly registered voters (that’s public information you can get from your local elections department).
You can use postcards to remind your IDd voters to vote. Take a list of every voter you identified as a supporter during your program and send them a postcard. If making vote plans with IDd voters was part of your field strategy, send them postcards reminding them when they said they would vote.
Whatever the reason you’re writing your postcards, make it a party. Put on some music, make it a potluck or order some pizza. Use these events both as recruitment tools to get new volunteers and as events to Get Out the Vote.
Candidate Events
If you are a c3 organization you can host certain candidate events as long as you are careful to follow the election laws. Under c3 rules you have to invite every candidate to a forum—not just the ones who you think may support your issues. You also have to give each candidate the opportunity to answer your questions, and you cannot show favoritism to any candidate, regardless of their answers or your feelings about them. Check with an elections lawyer or expert in your state before you plan your candidate event so you stay compliant.
A Candidate Forum first and foremost helps you build a strong relationship with future elected officials and gives you the chance to help educate your community on who the candidates are and what they stand for. They can also help build your base and let potential elected officials see the power of your group in numbers. Finally, as with all good organizing events, this is an opportunity to educate your base while inspiring them to take action on your issue.
Common Roles
Moderator: The person in this role runs the meeting, asks questions to the candidates, and makes any in the moment decisions about any needed adjustments to the forum in accordance with guidelines your group/organization laid out before the event.
Time Keeper: This person is responsible for tracking the time and letting candidates and the moderator know when they are close to or over their time to respond.
Candidate Greeter: This person greets the candidates and makes sure they have what they need to participate in the forum.
Community Greeter: This person greets the community as they come into the event and ensures that everyone signs in when they arrive.
Social Media Person: This person/persons takes pictures and videos at the events and posts to your group’s social media.
Press Person: If you invite press, make sure you have someone well versed in your work and the event there to answer questions and direct the press to any spokespeople you’ve prepped to speak on behalf of the organization or the community.