One of the most reliable findings in turnout work is that getting a voter to make a concrete commitment, a specific plan to vote, lifts their likelihood of actually voting more than a generic "please vote" reminder. Texting is an ideal channel for a commit-to-vote pledge program, because it can ask the question, capture the commitment, and follow up, all at scale. Here's how it works and why.
Why does a commitment work?
Because a plan turns a vague intention into an action people follow through on. A voter who says "yeah, I'll probably vote" is far less reliable than one who's answered when, where, and how they'll do it, the act of forming and stating a specific plan makes people more likely to execute it. Asking someone to commit, and to picture the specifics, engages a psychology that a generic reminder doesn't. This is why plan-making is a core GOTV tactic, and a pledge program is plan-making made explicit.
How do you run a commit-to-vote pledge by text?
Ask, capture, and follow up:
- Ask for the commitment. A P2P or broadcast question: "Can the campaign count on you to vote this year?" and then, for those who say yes, the plan-making follow-up.
- Get the specifics. When, where, and how they'll vote, since the specific plan is what makes the commitment stick.
- Capture it. Tag the pledge in your data so you know who committed.
- Follow through. Remind pledgers of their own commitment near Election Day, "you told us you'd vote early, here's how", which reinforces the plan they made.
Who's the pledge program for?
Especially your identified supporters and low-propensity voters who lean your way. Your reliable base will vote regardless, so the pledge's value is highest among supporters who need the nudge to follow through, the voters where a concrete commitment converts intent into turnout. Combining voter ID (finding who's with you) with the pledge (getting them to commit) and GOTV (reminding them of their commitment) is a sequence that turns a supporter into a voter. The pledge is the middle step that makes the last one land.
Frequently asked questions
What is a commit-to-vote pledge?
Getting a voter to make a specific commitment to vote, a concrete plan of when, where, and how, which lifts their likelihood of following through more than a generic reminder does.
Why do commit-to-vote pledges work?
Because forming and stating a specific plan makes people more likely to execute it. A voter who's pictured when, where, and how they'll vote is far more reliable than one who vaguely intends to.
How do you run a pledge program by text?
Ask supporters to commit, get the specifics of their plan, capture the pledge in your data, and follow up near Election Day by reminding them of their own commitment. Focus on identified supporters and low-propensity voters who lean your way.
Keep reading: the 72-hour GOTV plan and turning out low-propensity voters. For voter tools, see Vote.org.