Most voters are skeptical by nature. For proof, one need only look at the general approval ratings of politicians. The key to activating voters today is to reach them in a way that engenders trust, support, and the sense that they are being spoken to individually. The best way for campaigns to build this sort of rapport is to have volunteers introduce the candidate to their friends and families.
Reams of recent data from the 2016 races demonstrate the value of relational organizing. That is, we now know affirmatively that a text from a friend moves a voter more than a text from a stranger, in some cases increasing turnout by almost 5%. This feels intuitively right. Continue reading “Friend 2 Friend”