Welcome back to the weekly Nuts & Bolts Guide to small campaigns. Off-year and midterm elections can be deadly territory for voter turnout as voters are less engaged and aren’t as excited to turn out to the polls as they would be in a presidential year. While the top-of-the-ticket candidate may not be there, both Republican and Democratic candidates have a secret weapon in some states and numerous municipalities: ballot initiatives. Many communities, from townships to cities, do support a ballot initiative, though not every state supports a statewide ballot initiative.
Finding a combination of ways to turn out voters can help campaigns all the way up and down the ballot, like issues that can be present on the ballot and drive up voter turn out. In 2012, Leslie Graves wrote the book Local Ballot Initiatives and their impact on elections. Finding issues that motivate voters can make key differences in the end results at the ballot box.
Conservatives have been doing this for a while, and will continue to do so
Conservative groups have been working for some time to put out local and statewide ballots for many reasons, including abortion bans and limiting access to voting. In Kansas, the primary election is being used this year for a constitutional amendment that will virtually ban abortion in the state. The real goal, however, is not just the amendment. It is to make sure that conservative voters turn out on primary day, Aug. 2, 2022, and make sure that moderate Republicans do not oust conservatives. In a year where redistricting will happen, it is important to the Republican leadership to make sure that the right candidates get through, and that the conservative turnout in a primary occurs.
States have put forward quite a few constitutional amendments to reach their goals, but it is always possible you see entirely new paths. For instance, Missouri will be considering an entire state constitutional convention this fall.
Initiatives don’t need to be big
Too often, we get trapped in the idea that every initiative must be statewide in order to have meaningful impact in an election. I would argue this is absolutely not true. Strong ballot initiatives in Democratic communities, which can represent changes in local stances on things like prosecution of petty crimes to for-profit jails and reducing marijuana to a nonarrest offense, can be local city initiatives that can help turn out voters in certain communities. The same is true of ending cash bail or rezoning areas of a township.
You don’t need something monumental to help drive up turnout and generate excitement around voting on Election Day.
Instead, Democratic campaigns can look at local ballot initiatives as a way to put forward meaningful policies in communities, especially in red states where getting something through a state legislature might be difficult. By advancing these initiatives, you can do good locally and provide incentives to turn out the voters you need for your own candidates. It’s a win-win for both policy and for better governance.
You never know what motivates someone
Don’t assume that you know what issue really motivates a community. At Netroots Nation several years ago, I pointed out one of the most successful movements I had ever witnessed was the turnout in a small town to repair and rebuild a city park for the children, buying new playground equipment and putting down better surfaces so that people didn’t get hurt. The big requested expenditures would include a public tennis court and basketball court.
By staying in touch with your community about the initiatives that matter to them most, you keep a long-term list of the kind of candidates that will work in the future. When someone successfully leads an initiative, they have inbuilt support in a community to later run for office should they desire. They understand what a campaign looks like and how you can win.
Have you been through a good initiative in your state? A bad one? Let me know in the comments and we can talk about it!