You Can’t Rely on Luck to Achieve a Good Election Response Rate

Everyone is Irish on March 17, right? But when it comes to increasing your election response rate, it’s not enough to hope that four-leaf clovers, leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow will do the trick. To get members to vote in your organization’s election, you’ll need proven strategies and tactics.

As you know all too well, your organization relies on full election participation for optimal operation and to ensure you’re receiving adequate member input. That’s why one of your lucky charms when it comes to election time are participation reminders.

Remind me again…

Each round of participation reminders has been shown to increase voter turnout by an average of about five percent! The greater the number of reminders, the more likely members are to vote.

When it comes to election reminders, it’s vital to use every tool in your arsenal – postcards, letters, emails, social media and more.

But it’s also important to ensure your organization’s outreach efforts are hitting their targets. Keeping mailing and email lists up-to-date is as essential to voter outreach as participation reminders.

When sending election information and voting reminders, be sure to include as much data as possible including maps, dates, timing, candidate bios and clear and compelling reasons for members to cast their ballots.

It IS easy being green

All those paper ballots and election participation reminders take resources to print and mail, but also use a lot of trees to produce.

Adding an online voting option to your election is not only kinder to the environment, it gives members a convenient way to cast their ballots anywhere, any time. Making it more likely they’ll actually vote in your election.

Added bonus: Online voting saves your organization time and money too.

A click for luck

Another proven tool to increase voter participation in your elections are embedded login links. Simply put, members receive an email invitation or reminder with a custom link. They click the link and can cast their ballot in your online election immediately – no passwords to remember (or forget), no extra hoops to jump through.

And because each link is unique and automatically authenticated, your organization can be sure the election is secure and transparent.

If this sounds too good to be true – additional reminders and simple one-click technology to get more of your members to cast their ballots, it’s not! SBS has administered thousands of elections and these are two easy, proven tactics to increase voter participation.

So, when you’re preparing for your upcoming election, may your voters outnumber the shamrocks that grow. Need some help and guidance to make this happen? Contact us today, we’re waiting at the end of the rainbow just for you!