Arizona Campaign Uses Rapid-Response Texting To Defend Our Right to Vote

The All Voting is Local campaign is fighting across the country to dismantle barriers at the ballot box, so every voice is heard. All Voting is Local, as part of a coalition of groups called Election Protection Arizona (EPAZ), needed a rapid response hotline to support their #DemocracyDefender volunteers at the 2020 polls. They needed a communication hub to prepare the coalition’s volunteers for Election Day, a way to broadcast alerts, and the flexibility to answer individual questions as quickly as they came up.

With Strive, you have the power to broadcast messages at scale and the control to personalize responses directly to volunteers and supporters. Our platform is built for organizing, making it a perfect fit for their campaign needs.

“Strive helped us adapt our program to a primarily-digital landscape, while still remaining connected and engaged with volunteers.” 
Alex Gulotta
Arizona State Director, All Voting is Local 

Here is how the Election Protection Arizona coalition used Strive to support their 2020 election volunteers:

Coordinating Volunteer Assignments

EPAZ used Strive as a primary communication tool for their organizing efforts. Volunteers were prompted via text to complete a digital or in-person training. Using dynamic fields, organizers could broadcast personalized reminders to help volunteers stick to their commitments.

Once training was complete, organizers texted volunteers about their volunteer preferences — like whether they’d prefer AM or PM shifts. Using multiple-choice questions, EPAZ broadcast volunteer role options such as social media monitor, recruitment text banker, or poll monitor.  

With organizer assignments, EPAZ could support their volunteer list at scale. EPAZ assigned volunteers to organizers based on their region. Organizers monitored their assigned conversations in the Strive inbox, and could quickly see which conversations needed a response. 

Automated reminders and PSAs could be sent with a single click, while individual support needs could be easily managed in the inbox.

“Strive keywords helped us recruit volunteers at online events, with offline ads, during media appearances, and more. It was helpful in sending training reminders and asking folks who didn't show up for the Zoom training, to sign up for the next. Strive was an essential tool in our mobile organizing strategy and volunteer communication for a statewide program with hundreds of in-person volunteers on Election Day."
Murphy Bannerman
Deputy Director, Election Protection Arizona
On the Ground Monitoring and Live Updates

#DemocracyDefenders were able to check into their shift by texting HERE. EPAZ monitored and collected key data on poll conditions, such as wait times, via EPAZ broadcasted surveys. Volunteers were prompted throughout their shift via text to provide real-time status updates on their polling location.

At the time of their shift, check-ins and reminders were broadcasted to #DemocracyDefenders. If an issue arose, volunteers could text in VOTE HELP.

Using Flows, volunteers were automatically grouped by their responses, making targeted broadcasts easy. When EPAZ needed to get important information to poll monitors, they could send broadcasts to their entire poll monitor group, or segments of that group.

Click through rates were consistently high with volunteers, some as high as 50%

All Voting is Local and EPAZ were able to organize thousands of #DemocracyDefenders across Arizona with Strive’s powerful and flexible rapid response capabilities. Our blend of P2P and Broadcast features makes mobile advocacy scalable and personalized.

“Many regional organizers were able to have access to Strive at once and ensure that we could quickly confirm volunteers showed up for their shift, troubleshoot voting issues, and communicate with volunteers.”
Murphy Bannerman
Deputy Director, Election Protection Arizona

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