How to Streamline the 2020 Voter Pathway

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Engaging potential absentees is crucial to any vote – but even more so this year, when the pandemic has curtailed in-person campaigning. We explore initiatives to help encourage registration and motivate voter turnout.

Navigating the Unknown: To help US residents prepare for the election, Twitter launched its Election Hub in September. Hosted in the ‘Explore’ tab, it live-streams election events like debates, provides state-by-state news resources, and broadcasts public service announcements (in English and Spanish) on topics such as registration tips, voting safely in a pandemic, and requesting a mail-in ballot.

Twitter has been working hard to tackle misinformation

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Pop-Up Politics: While some brands plan to close their stores to allow employees to vote, Kith took this one step further. It closed its four flagship stores during the first week of September, converting them into enrolment hubs with employees present to help attendees sign up. Brands should consider how they can use their retail space for new, dynamic and meaningful initiatives.

An App for That: To help ease the difficult registration process, tech platform EMPOWRD launched its Get EMPOWRD to Vote campaign on National Black Voter Day (September 18). It featured Black figures in the public eye, such as TV host Mike Hill and model and entrepreneur Cynthia Bailey to encourage consumers to download the EMPOWRD app, which not only provides info on elected officials and policies, but also allows users to register to vote through its easy-to-use interface.

Beyond Registration: To keep momentum and encourage wider political participation, online volunteer platform Swing Left launched The Last Weekends initiative. The campaign calls for volunteers to write letters, make phone calls and use their digital platforms to motivate others to vote. The campaign underlines the importance for individuals to look beyond their voting responsibility, and boost engagement across the country.

A deep dive into brand-led election activations is covered in our recent report. To understand the challenges and triumphs of a virtual-forward election, see Digital Activism.