What is a Twitterstorm?
Twitterstorms are national days of action where our partners come together to flood Twitter with positive messages and resources for voting early. The goal is to get reliable information about voting early trending on Twitter—and have fun while doing it! We will be hosting several Twitterstorms in the weeks leading up to Vote Early Day, and you can join us as an individual, as part of an organization, or both.
How does it work?
If you’re joining as an individual, simply log onto Twitter during the hours of the Twitterstorm (we’ll be posting our schedule soon) and start tweeting using the guidance below. If you’re participating with a group of friends or with an organization, we encourage you to make an event out of it! Gather together (in person or virtually) with snacks and music, and have a friendly competition to see who can tweet the most or get the most engagement with their tweets.
There are a few ways you can tweet during the Twitterstorm:
- Post your own tweets from your personal accounts (and organization accounts, if possible) using #VoteEarlyDay.
- Respond to tweets from the @VoteEarlyDay account. We’ll be posting prompts like “Tell us why you’re excited to vote early!” to give you an easy way to engage.
- Interact with (like, comment on, and retweet) other partners’ #VoteEarlyDay tweets.
- Find recent viral tweets and leave comments (using #VoteEarlyDay) that provide resources about voting early.
- Target particular influencers and organizations by tagging them in tweets and encourage them to join the #VoteEarlyDay movement.
What do we tweet about?
We recommend that you:
- Make it easy for people to find out where, when, and how they can cast their ballot ahead of Election Day by sharing:
- The Vote Early Day online voter tool (coming soon)
- How to vote early in your community specifically (you can find this information by contacting your local election office)
- Post selfies with your “I voted” sticker—and encourage others to do the same!
- Remind your community why the election is so important and share why voting matters to you
In every tweet, make sure to include a “call to action” (urge people to cast their ballot on Vote Early Day or make a plan to vote ahead of Election Day) and use the hashtag #VoteEarlyDay.
Why are Twitterstorms effective?
- There is so much voter disinformation floating around on social media, and the best way to counter it is by putting out and amplifying reliable content and resources. Vote Early Day Twitterstorms spread trustworthy tools and information on a national scale.
- A national day of action creates a burst of engagement, which boosts #VoteEarlyDay in the Twitter algorithm and amplifies our message to a larger audience.
- When #VoteEarlyDay is trending, people who might otherwise not know about their options to vote early will have access to information about how, where, and when they can cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.
- People are more likely to vote when they’re asked by someone they trust, so your tweets will go a long way in mobilizing your personal network! By tweeting your “I voted” selfie, you help create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) for anyone who has not yet cast their ballot early.
What are some other tips?
- If you have access to multiple Twitter accounts (such as your personal one and one for your organization or community group), use them both to expand your reach.
- Include pictures, gifs, and videos in your tweets as much as possible to maximize engagement. Use our sample graphics here.
- Interact with all the #VoteEarlyDay tweets you see by liking, commenting, or retweeting! When everyone participating in the Twitterstorm does this, our tweets will be amplified to a national audience.
- For inspiration crafting your tweets, check out our Social Media and Graphics tools for nonprofits, businesses, governments, campuses, and individuals.
- Make sure to keep all your tweets and comments positive, respectful, and nonpartisan.