1. How can civic engagement data help your organization

2. Agenda Voter File Basics Membership Targeting Voter Registration
Issue Work
GOTV

3. Voter File Basics In short: the registered voters in your state.
But really, it’s much more than just registered voters in your state.

4. Voter File Basics Registering to Vote
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the

5. Voter File Basics Registering to Vote
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the

6. Voter File Basics Registering to Vote
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the

7. Voter File Basics Registering to Vote
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the

8. Secretary of State Office
Voter File Basics
Basis for the Voter File
Secretary of State Office
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the voter file in each state.

9. Secretary of State Office
Voter File Basics
The SoS File is only the start
Secretary of State Office
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the voter file in each state.

10. Secretary of State Office
Voter File Basics
Other Databases can be included to provide a better picture
Secretary of State Office
There is a lot that
Census

11. Secretary of State Office
Voter File Basics
Other Databases can be included to provide a better picture
Secretary of State Office
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the voter file in each state.
Census
Public Available List

12. Secretary of State Office
Voter File Basics
Other Databases can be included to provide a better picture
Secretary of State Office
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the voter file in each state.
Census
Public Available List
Analytics

13. Voter File Basics
Other Databases can be included to provide a better picture
Secretary of State Office
VOTER FILE
People register to vote, collected (by county, town) eventually in most cases ends up at the state Secretary of State Office. This is the basis for the voter file in each state.
Census
Publicly Available List
Analytics
Etc

14. Voter File Basics
Voter File Has:
VOTER FILE
VOTER FILE

15. Voter File Basics Voter File Has: Names Address Phone Number
Voting History
Geography
Sex
Marital Status
Age
Race
Ethnicity
Census Information
Unregistered People
VOTER FILE

16. Voter File Basics Some data can come from models Names Address
Phone Number
Voting History
Geography
Sex
Marital Status
Age
Race
Ethnicity
Census Information
Unregistered People
VOTER FILE

17. Voter File Basics Some data can be more unreliable Names Address
Phone Number
Voting History
Geography
Sex
Marital Status
Age
Race
Ethnicity
Census Information
Unregistered People
VOTER FILE

18. Voter File Basics Allows you to search for your voters
Example: Voters in three wards of Hackensack, NJ

19. Voter File Basics Voter Files also include your work Membership
Volunteers
Cell Phones
Address
Contacts Made
Voter Registration
VOTER FILE

20. Voter File Basics Track your contacts Who took action
When they were contacted
Who contacted them
VOTER FILE

21. Membership Learn about People Demographics Voter Registration
Voting History
Geography
Internal Database
Voter File

22. Membership
Make decisions on recruitment, expansion, or where further work is needed.

23. Membership
Build Your Organization
Prospect
Volunteer
Activist
Member

24. Targeting Find the people it make sense to talk to Illinois Population
12,880,580
Female
6,556,215
Male
6,324,365
White
9,982,450
African American
1,893,445
Asian
682,671
Hispanic or Latino
2,151,057
Over 18
9,892,285

25. Targeting What is your program? Cook County 5,246,456 Female 6,556,215
Modeled Activists
1,893,445

26. Targeting What is your program? Our Target Cook County 5,246,456
Female
6,556,215
Our Target
Modeled Activists
1,893,445

27. Targeting
Ex. Find people to contact their legislator
Legislature

28. Targeting Ex. Find people to contact their legislator
Solution: Who can you contact?
Our members/volunteers (already in our file)
Prospects (use a model?)
Geography

29. Voter Reg
Where to do work

30. Voter Reg Where to do work
Reminder: Voter File starts with Registered Voters.
What does this tell us now as opposed to what we want?
What other information would we want to use?

31. Voter Reg Tracking Voter Registration Work Measure results
Know who became a new registrant
Find those who didn’t (if possible)
Follow up with registrants

32. Voter Registration TODAY!
Remember, these registrants are your contacts.
Here’s my voter reg…
Voter Registration TODAY!

33. Voter Registration TODAY!
Remember, these registrants are your contacts.
Thank you for being a voter!
Voter Registration TODAY!

34. Voter Registration TODAY!
Remember, these registrants are your contacts.
Would you like to volunteer?
Voter Registration TODAY!

35. Issue Work Issues - Models
In short, models are an equation that tells us something about an individual
When models are created, lots of variables are used. This may include age, gender, race, voting history, census data, etc.
Ex. Have a town hall?
Use an issue or activism model

36. Issue Work
Issues – Patch through calls
Volunteer
Voter
Legislator

37. GOTV
Turnout Voters
Use a Turnout model
Use Vote History

38. GOTV Turnout Voters Use a Turnout model Use Vote History
Remember all your activists and people you registered we mentioned before!

39. GOTV Voter Propensity Model Municipal Elections? Vote History
Low Turnout
*Information on voting history varies by state

40. Questions
Thank you

41. HOW TO BUILD A CULTURE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT caroline@oca-stl.org
OCA St. Louis
HOW TO BUILD A CULTURE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

42. Civic Engagement Progress
2014: 3250 phones. Started multilingual civic engagement program
2015: Started relationship with Board of Elections
2016: 12,000 mail; 2,500 phones; voter reg for federal and state election
20+ voter reg/ edu events in 44 weeks
2017: 5,000 mail; 4,500 phones for STL city and county municipal election
Started nonpartisan GOTV visibility campaign in restaurants, shops, temples
Volunteers: students, professionals, board members
Upsides: increased organizational visibility, gala attendance, engagement