Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV)
David L. Montgomery
Chair
Monthly Spotlight:
Committee Objectives:
GOTV is about more than mechanics, it is about inspiration and emotion. Your program must touch voters in a way that motivates them to serve their self-interest. A GOTV operation must get your voters to the polls. It must provide a message to motivates voters to go to the polls and, if necessary, give them a ride to the polls. The goal of GOTV programs is to get the maximum number of your voters to the polls. When planning voter education programs, make sure you identify enough voters to have an impactful GOTV effort. Election Day is a one-day operation that is the culmination of the GOTV program. The GOTV program, however, begins weeks before Election Day. The entire plan must be designed with GOTV in mind. Within ten weeks of Election Day, you should assign a GOTV Director to begin making final plans and preparations. And within one to two weeks of Election Day, the entire campaign operation should be shifted into GOTV activities that are either run by the GOTV Director or someone else assigned specifically for this purpose. GOTV is a very selective program. Like all management tasks, GOTV must apply the limited resources of people, time and money to the fullest advantage. Within the limits of their resources, choices have to be made to allow for the maximum GOTV effort possible. Success depends upon planning, organization and management. Your GOTV programs are designed to reach voters either individually, in targeted precincts, or in most cases a combination of both. Because GOTV is very selective, do not plan to assemble a program in every precinct in your district. The more information gathered about individual voters, the more targeted and efficient your GOTV plan can be. The GOTV message is very simple: GO VOTE! You ask, cajole, and encourage your voters to go to the polls. Additionally, the get-out the-vote message should tell the voters where the Polls are located and when they are open.