Vote tripling is a deceptively simple turnout tactic: instead of the campaign reminding a voter, you ask each supporter to remind three friends to vote. It multiplies your turnout effort through trusted messengers, and it's grounded in the same insight behind relational texting, a reminder from a friend lands harder than one from a campaign. Texting is the ideal channel to run it at scale. Here's how.
What is vote tripling?
Vote tripling asks a committed supporter to commit to reminding three specific people in their life to vote, family, friends, coworkers. The campaign reaches one supporter; that supporter reaches three more, through their own trusted relationships. It's a force multiplier: your direct contact turns into several indirect contacts, each more persuasive because it comes from someone the voter knows. The tactic has roots in turnout research on the power of social pressure and trusted messengers.
Why is it so effective?
Because it combines two powerful effects. First, trusted messengers: a friend's reminder is far more effective than a stranger's, so the three reminders land harder than three campaign texts would. Second, commitment: asking a supporter to name and commit to reminding three specific people makes them more likely to follow through, and the act of committing engages them further. You're not just extending reach; you're deepening the supporter's own engagement while multiplying it outward.
How do you run vote tripling by text?
Ask, capture, and remind:
- Make the ask. A P2P or broadcast message to supporters: "Will you remind three friends to vote this year?"
- Get specificity. Ask them to think of three specific people, since naming them makes the commitment real.
- Confirm the commitment. A "yes, I'll do it" locks it in and lets you tag the supporter.
- Remind near Election Day. Prompt your triplers to actually send those reminders when it counts, "you said you'd remind three friends, now's the time."
Frequently asked questions
What is vote tripling?
A turnout tactic where each supporter is asked to remind three specific friends to vote, multiplying the campaign's reach through trusted personal relationships. One direct contact becomes several indirect, more persuasive ones.
Why is vote tripling effective?
Because it combines trusted messengers, a friend's reminder beats a stranger's, with commitment, asking a supporter to name and commit to three people makes them follow through and deepens their engagement.
How do you run vote tripling by text?
Ask supporters to commit to reminding three friends, have them think of three specific people, confirm the commitment, and prompt them near Election Day to actually send the reminders when it counts.
Keep reading: relational texting and the commit-to-vote pledge. For voter tools, see Vote.org.