Election Tactics

An election tactic is an intervention to impact an election. For example, TV campaign ads, sending out vote-by-mail applications, and door-to-door canvassing are all different election tactics. Most tactics can be employed either in a nonpartisan manner (such as increasing voter turnout or educating voters) or in a partisan manner (such as persuading voters to vote for a particular candidate).

• We recommend programs run by non-profit (501)(c)(3) organizations that strengthen democracy in battleground states and 501(c)(4) organizations that conduct primarily non-partisan programs but also may help win votes for pro-democracy candidates in key races. We also sometimes recommend contributions to partisan PACs.

• We generally measure the cost-effectiveness of an organization’s election tactic in a specific state and election cycle, although tactics may also be implemented at the county or electoral district level.

• We assess the cost-effectiveness of specific election tactics, rather than of the entire portfolio of an organization’s work. For example, an organization’s voter registration application mailers will likely have a different cost per vote from their vote-by-mail application mailers.