1. Communications & Outreach to Voters
A presentation for the Arizona Municipal Clerks Association
July 24, 2019

2. Part 1
Maricopa County Recorder’s Office & Elections Department

3. How does the Recorder’s Office communicate with voters?
Direct Communication
Attend events
Voter Registration booths
Deputy Registrars
MCTEC/Downtown Office
Roundtable Program
Town Halls
MCTEC Tours

4. How does the Recorder’s Office communicate with voters?
By Phone:
STAR Center (Call Center Service)
MCTEC/Downtown Office
Through our Website (Maricopa.Vote):
Frequently asked questions with answers are available on our website
An online form allows people with additional questions to contact the office
Surveys:
The Recorder’s Office sends surveys out to voters after Primary and General Elections
Post Election Report

5. How does the Recorder’s Office communicate with voters?
Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
Used to increase awareness of:
Upcoming deadlines
Services provided by the office
Updates from the office
Job openings
Graphic posted during the 2018 Midterm Election

6. Content on Social Media
The following are examples of what was used to help educate voters:
Short videos with graphics:
Myth Buster videos addressing election myths:
Produced videos:
Facebook Live:
Graphics and Infographics

7. Raising Awareness through Paid Advertising
We use paid advertising to reach out to voters during important periods leading up to the election. We use:
Newspapers (AZ Republic, AZ Informant, East Valley Tribune Publications, Independent News Media)
Digital (Banner, Pay Per Click, Social Media)
Online streaming services (Hulu, YouTube)

8. Raising Awareness using Television and Radio
TV (Cable, ABC, NBC, PBS, Univision, Telemundo)
Radio (iHeart Radio, KTAR, NPR, Entravision)

9. Lessons Learned in 2018
During the Primary Election, the office noticed more outreach was needed to inform early voters about what to do if they did not receive their ballot.
The office notified people ballots were being mailed, but not what to do if it failed to arrive.

10. How lessons learned became best practices
For the General Election, the communications department provided more advance information on what to do if a voter did not receive their ballot.
We were proactive, letting people know how to replace their ballot if it was damaged by the rain, providing information to voters before ballots arrived.

11. What did the Recorder’s Office do well?
On Election Day, during the General Election, Recorder Fontes gave multiple live reports to both the press and those watching on social media.
After Election Day, we posted the number of ballots left to count for both the Primary and General Elections every day, until tabulation was completed.
Voters appreciated being informed in real time, and feeling like they were part of the process.

12. Ways to get involved
Take a tour of MCTEC: tinyurl.com/GetInvolvedMaricopa
2. Become a Deputy Registrar: tinyurl.com/DRclass2019
3. Fill out an interest form: Getinvolved.vote

13. Stay in touch on social media
fb.com/AdrianFontesMCR
@recorderfontes
@recorderfontes

14. Part 2
Maricopa County Recorder’s Office & Elections Department, Recorder Adrian Fontes
Pinal County Elections Department, Michele Forney
Yuma County Recorder’s Office, Recorder Robyn Stallworth Pouquette

15. Structure of County Governments
The Arizona State Constitution delegates some duties of the Election Department to each County Board of Supervisors
Election Day and Emergency Voting falls under the BoS
The Recorder, by law, oversees Voter Registration and Early Voting
Some counties’ BoS have an agreement with the Recorder to administer all parts of elections

16. Who Liaises with Cities and Towns?
Each county structures their relationship with cities and towns differently. Depending on the project or point in the election, the liaisons may be multiple people in separate divisions:
Elections Department
Provides the Menu of Services for jurisdictional elections
Communications
Helps coordinate public notices, social media, voter education
Government Relations
Intergovernmental agreements, statutory changes

17. Who does voter education?
Voter Education: Notifying the voter of factual election information including, but not limited to: how, when and where to vote, statutory deadlines, upcoming election calendars, what is on the ballot, etc.
Information is sent out by both the elections & recorder’s departments (if not merged under one communications structure)
Entities providing voter education:
City or Town
County
Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission
Secretary of State

18. What about Voter Outreach?
Voter Outreach: Providing voters information through direct in- person contact and community action. Can include but is not limited to voter education.
Outreach availability is heavily dependent on staff and financial resources of each department.
Organizations performing voter outreach:
AZ Secretary of State
AZ Citizens Clean Elections Commission
Maricopa County Recorder’s Office
Recommend talking to your County Recorder and Elections Liaison about capacity for voter education and outreach for your next local election

19. Future Voter Outreach: School Elections
Election Departments conduct voter outreach and help develop good voting habits by working with the next generation of voters
Participatory Budgeting Programs and High School Elections provide excellent opportunities for:
Students to become more familiar with voting equipment and procedures
Recruit for student poll working programs
Practice using real ballots to reduce intimidation at the voting booth
Preregister students who will be eligible for the next general election.
2,500+ Preregistered in Maricopa County during 2019 Participatory Budgeting

20. Communications
“Voters depend on us, and it is our duty to provide them accurate information”
Misinformation
Increased use on social media platforms
Looks like information from trusted sources, but it is not
Humans are more vulnerable to misinformation than we realize
Federal authorities are looking at misinformation as a threat for 2020

21. Communications (should always have an element of voter education)1
Best Practices for Election Communications:
Get information directly from the agency administering the election
Election Officers are the experts on accurate language for communications
Example of language that can be confusing for the voter, that non-administrators utilize interchangeably:
Vote Center
Polling Location
Polling Place
Ballot Replacement Site
Voting Location
While one of these terms are innocuous, others have statutory and procedural requirements when used on official materials to identify where a citizen may vote

22. Communications (should always have an element of voter education)2
More Best Practices for Election Communications:
Work with the election administrator for accurate language in communications
Use materials, content, graphics provided by the election administrator
Amplify information coming from the election authority
This directs voters directly to the source of the information, reduces number of contact attempts for the voter to receive election communications
Work with election administrator and the Arizona Citizen Clean Elections Commission on content creation and enhancing social media reach

23. Empowering Voters Through Collaboration
Pinal County
working with AZCCEC to create a mobile voter & voter registration vehicle
Partnering with libraries for adult education
Maricopa County
November 2018 Ballot Return Communications
Roundtable Project
All Counties
Coordinate legislative proposals and group lobbying efforts through AACo
Social Media Amplification of general information and messages
Leverage AZCCEC resources for voter outreach and education

24. Pinal County Elections Director
THANK YOU
Adrian Fontes
Maricopa County Recorder
Robyn Stallworth Pouquette
Yuma County Recorder
Michele Forney
Pinal County Elections Director