Cellphone data, mobile apps and paid media: DNC touts voter-targeting plans
In a memo released today, the Democratic National Committee revealed some of the plans it has for how to spend the money that they have been collecting for the election cycle in 2024.
According to a memo outlining the party’s strategy in the months before the general election, the Democratic National Committee will make new technology investments to boost its efforts to reach younger voters and voters of colour in an increasingly fragmented world.
Democrats, bolstered by their $192 million haul in the first quarter this year have spent millions on data acquisition and new technologies to target voters in battleground state and create an “information infrastructure” that is equally useful to national and state parties.
According to a memo, the party invested $2 million in this cycle to better target voters, especially in battleground states. The memo also claimed that it had increased its coverage of cellphones on voter lists, from 30% in 2016 to over 82% now. A further $2 million per year has been invested into “models and commercial information to better understand the voters.”
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The Democrats cite the Wisconsin State Supreme Court race to demonstrate the value of such data. They cite the 1.4 millions calls and text messages Wisconsin Democrats sent to support candidates in the past year, including Janet Protasiewicz who was elected to that court.
The DNC claims that it has so far made 1.2 millions calls and sent 5.4million texts to engage voters, promote events, recruit organizers for organizing activities, and support voter registration in battleground States.
It will invest more in relational organizing to reach out to young voters and voters from diverse backgrounds before the elections. This includes a Wisconsin pilot program which has engaged with young voters on college campus in Green Bay and Madison.
Before President Joe Biden’s campaign event on Wednesday in Racine Wisconsin, attendees were taught how to use the relational organizing app REACH. The campaign describes this program as one that helps “voters connect to people they know about the importance the election.”
In a memo sent this week, Garren Randolph wrote that Team Biden-Harris supporters in Milwaukee have used REACH to organize the Black community in a unique way.
In its memo, the DNC also praised other investments.
Democrats are increasing their investment in traditionally red states as Republicans focus on Minnesota and Virginia this fall, where Biden won comfortably in 2020. The party has spent more than $4.5million in its Red State Fund this election cycle. This fund allocates resources to programs in traditionally Republican States. Kentucky, home to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who won re-election in Kentucky last year, is one of the red states where national party investments have increased dramatically.
The DNC has also announced new investments in security measures for elections.
In its memo, it said that they are investing seven figures in a “robust operation to protect voters.” This includes launching 57 online videos for training voting staff on topics ranging from election administration and curing ballots to organizing and federal laws.
The party also said that it would continue to support the hotline for voter assistance. The party said it received 28,000 calls during the midterm elections of 2022 and has received more than 9,500 so far in this cycle.
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