Overview
Studies show that people are significantly more likely to vote if they make a plan for how they’re going to cast their ballot ahead of time. Vote Early Day is the perfect opportunity to reach out to voters directly and help them make this plan! When you talk with voters, try to get them to verbally talk through where, when, and how they are going to cast their ballot. This conversation can make all the difference in helping them make their voice heard in elections that matter in their community. You can also direct them to the Vote Early Day online voter tool, which makes it easy to find out where to vote early in person, drop off a ballot, get mailed a ballot, and much more.
To get contact information for people in your community, we recommend you reach out to your local election office and ask for a list of registered voters. As you get closer to the election, you should also be able to get a list of people who haven’t voted yet, so you can target your outreach!
There are two scripts in this guide: one for encouraging people to cast their ballot on Vote Early Day and one for making a plan to vote more generally. If you live in an area that doesn’t have options for voting early, we recommend you use the second script. Double check your state’s options for voting early here. If you’re looking for other ways to reach out to voters, check out our phone and text scripts as well.
Make sure to keep track of the number of voters you speak with and help make their plans to vote so you can report your success back to us after Vote Early Day.
Script 1: For encouraging people to vote on Vote Early Day
Before you reach out to voters, find out what their options are for voting early in your specific community. Make sure you can direct them to nearby locations for voting early (both a polling place and a ballot dropbox). You can find this information by contacting your local election office.
Hi, is [their name] available?
Hi [their name], this is [your name] with [Organization]. Today is Vote Early Day, so I wanted to stop by and urge you to vote early in the upcoming [insert election here] election! Can I count on you to cast your ballot today?
[If yes] Awesome! Do you plan on voting early in person or by mail?
- [In person] That’s great! The closest location to vote early in person is [location] and the hours are [hours]. How are you going to get there? What time are you going to go?
- [By mail] That’s great! Have you requested your ballot yet? (If you haven’t requested your ballot yet, you should stop by your election office as soon as possible to pick one up.) When are you going to fill out your ballot? Will you drop it off or mail it in? Your local election office is [location], and nearby ballot dropboxes can be found at [locations].
[If no/unsure] I understand. I personally like voting early because [your personal reason]. In [your community], you can vote early in person at [polling place location] from [opening to closing time] or by dropping off your mail ballot at [ballot dropbox location]. Can we count on you to cast your ballot ahead of Election Day?
Example reasons for voting early:
If you wait until the last day to vote, issues could come up that could prevent you from casting your ballot.
When you vote early, you give yourself the time to plan for any last-minute problems that might come your way.
Voting early helps ensure that long lines at the polls, voter disinformation, and confusing election laws cannot get in the way of you making your voice heard.
[To conclude] Thanks so much for voting! Can I email or text you a link to the Vote Early Day voter tool so you can find out where, when, and how to cast your ballot early?
If they agree, get their contact info and send them the link to voteearlyday.org
Script 2: For helping people make a plan to vote
Use this script to help people talk through their plan to vote and make sure they’re ready to cast their ballot! This script is a good option for people who live in areas without options to vote ahead of Election Day (you can check your state’s options here).
Hi, is [their name] available?
Hi [their name], this is [your name] with [Organization]. Today is Vote Early Day, so I wanted to stop by and remind you to make a plan to vote in the [insert election here] election! Will you commit to voting in this important election?
[If yes] Awesome! Do you plan on voting in person or by mail?
- [In person] That’s great! Where is your polling place? How are you going to get there? When are you planning to go?
- [By mail] That’s great! Have you requested your ballot yet? (If you haven’t requested your ballot yet, you should stop by your election office as soon as possible to pick one up.) When are you going to fill out your ballot? Will you drop it off or mail it in?
If they don’t know their voting locations (either in person or with a ballot drop box), direct them to our online voter tool at voteearlyday.org.
[If no/unsure] I understand. I personally am voting in this election because [your personal reason], and I hope that you’ll join me! Can I help you make a plan to vote?
[To conclude] Thanks so much for voting! Can I email or text you a link to the Vote Early Day voter tool so you can find out where, when, and how to cast your ballot?
If they agree, get their contact info and send them the link to voteearlyday.org.