Middlesex County – Vote by Mail
Challenge
Once COVID-19 forced the State of New Jersey into quarantine, state and county election officials immediately faced the prospect of running a primary election without in-person voting. The New Jersey governor provided elections guidance over the course of several weeks that required stricter regulations. Middlesex finally mandated that the primary election be held with vote-by-mail ballots. The process would have very limited in-person preliminary ballot voting. The count also required that residents have the opportunity to drop a mail ballot into a locked drop box in secure locations around the county. Responsibility for educating the public fell to each county within the state. Middlesex County is a very diverse county, with over 80 languages spoken. The two primary languages after English are Spanish and Gujarati.
Solution
Approach Within a few weeks, TopRight created a comprehensive Vote by Mail campaign utilizing organic social media and paid digital advertising. TopRight identified key locations least likely to Vote by Mail and directed a higher frequency rotation to those communities. The TopRight team employed a rhythmic approach to organic social media strategy, consistently placing Vote by Mail content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 3-4 times per week. Paid digital advertising also employed a rhythmic approach, with scheduled advertising buys on Facebook: targeting primarily 45+ Instagram: targeting primarily 25+ Google Responsive Display: targeting all ages YouTube: targeting primarily 18+ Spotify: targeting primarily 18+ In addition to using YouTube and Spotify to reach our 18-25-year-old audience, TopRight used animated GIFs as attention grabbers for young voters. A critical part of the campaign included a comprehensive landing page on Middlesex County’s website that concisely explained the process and provided links to register to vote, apply to vote by mail, and download the vote-by-mail ballot. TopRight ensured that the marketing materials were translated into popularly spoken languages other than English, including Spanish and Gujarati.
Results
As a result of the campaign, Middlesex County generated the second-highest voter turnout in county history! Of 500,000 eligible Middlesex County voters, 100,000 people voted in the primary. TopRight is now working on a comprehensive Vote by Mail campaign to prepare voters to vote by mail in the November, 2020, general election. In addition to organic social media and paid digital advertising, the county will also be adding TV spots.
Want fresh marketing stories in your inbox?
Get the weekly email that makes you a marketing genius.
Stay informed and inspired, for free.