Open New Fronts

Almost every district is competitive when non-voters decide to vote.

When turnout jumped by 40% in 2018 (from about a third of voters to about half), Democrats won their largest seat increase in 40 years. Even so, only half of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2018. Though the number of votes cast by 18 to 29-year-olds jumped 10 percentage points, more than two-thirds of young people stayed home. In most districts "no vote" got more votes than the winning candidate. If non-voters voted, they could change the outcome of almost any race.

Political cartoon of two large crowds. The crowd on the left wears shirts saying 'Voter'. The crowd on the right is twice as big, but they're collectively saying 'We didn't vote because it won't make a difference.' — Nick Henderson, Houston Chronicle

Who decides to vote can change the course of the reddest of red states or the bluest of blue states. When voter turnout changes, Republicans can win in Massachusetts and Democrats can win in Alabama. Formerly "non-competitive" states become competitive as different people decide to vote.

What should I do next?

I'm not registered to vote.

You can register through Vote.org in two minutes. And you can find your polling place here.

I don’t know who to vote for.

That's okay! The key is to not stress about it, because not showing up guarantees you won't be represented. You don't need to know everything. Here are some simple ways to get started:

Find a friend whose values you respect and talk to them about how they're using their vote.
Go to Vote Smart, a non-partisan site, to find out about the stances, past votes, and issue ratings of politicians in your area.
Take this non-partisan five minute quiz to learn about how your values line up with the major political parties. If you know a party is a good fit for your values, you’re better off voting for a candidate for that party than not voting at all.
Search for a candidate's name online and see who endorses them. Endorsements send important signals about which groups trust the people running. Most states (with a few exceptions) let you bring your phone into the voting booth, in case you forget to do this earlier.
Remember, there is nothing wrong with filling out only part of the ballot. Your poll workers may ask you about it, but they just want to make sure you didn’t make a mistake. It's not a problem if you only vote in some of the races.

I'm still not convinced voting is worth it, but I'd like to make use of my vote somehow.

Even if you don't want to vote in your district, you may be able to donate your vote through the Emancipation Initiative to someone who's incarcerated, so they can have a political voice as well.

I want to get more involved.

Persuaded that more people should be voting? Be part of the change!

Remember that there will always be disinformation and efforts to interfere in the election. Talk to your friends about why voting is valuable. Feel free to share this guide.
Volunteer for a political campaign. There's a lot of work to be done, even during social distancing. It's easier than ever to help campaigns by calling, texting, or writing letters to voters.
When election day gets closer, look for apps that will help you connect to your friends and convince them to vote. Campaign apps will let you text people to remind them to vote.
Look for other local political causes to support with your time or money. Voting is important, but it's just the beginning of making change happen.

You can provide feedback here

Created by
Ben Struhl and Alexander Gard-Murray
in 2020

A Powderhouse Project