How to increase midterm voter turnout? Make voting worth celebrating

Voter turnout. When it comes to elections, it’s all that matters in the end. And every year we are fighting to make turnout more representative of our country’s great diversity – Black voters, youth voters, Latino voters, Native American voters and more. We know that despite the stakes for our democracy in this election, midterm voter turnout is almost always lower than in presidential elections. Even in 2018, when we saw record youth voter turnout, two-thirds of young people still did not vote.  

But we know how to change that.  

Research shows that making voting a fun, celebratory event increases voter turnout by up to 4 percent. That’s a big deal when elections are often won on the margins.  

That’s why When We All Vote and our partners have hosted more than 400 parties at or near polling locations across the country since we launched our Party at the Polls program (formerly Vote Together) in 2018. Party at the Polls is a data-driven strategy that can increase voter turnout and encourage folks to vote early. Led by local groups and hosted at or near early voting sites, these free, nonpartisan events bring communities together with music, food and activities for the whole family. And our parties are led by and reach the people who face the biggest barriers to voting – communities of color and young people.  

This year, we’re seeing communities across the country turn the act of voting into a celebration. We’ve seen young Latina voters in their quinceañera dresses leading a parade, Black men on motorcycles riding together, families enjoying a pre-game rally before a Detroit Pistons game, block parties, and hometown DJs gathered across the country, all with the same destination: a polling place.  

At When We All Vote, we’re working to close the race and age gap in voting and ensure that every American can make their voices heard in our elections. As more campaigns and organizations like ours across the country use Party at the Polls, we are bound to increase turnout year over year. More than 30 million people have voted early this election cycle already, outpacing early voting in 2018. 

Participating in our democracy is a collective activity that draws diverse communities together in search of our highest ideals and greater selves. At least that is what it has the potential to be. As we face uncertainty and attacks on our democracy, any attempt to build joy, humanity and community into the process is a win. Parties at the Polls is that joy. These events turn voting from an isolated obligation into a community celebration.  

For example, in Philadelphia, PA Youth Vote brought together hundreds of high school students and first-time voters for a voting circus with aerial performances, food, and music as they made their voices heard at the polls for the first time. In Kayenta, Ariz., Native leaders hosted a 20-mile trail ride to the polls to mobilize young Navajo voters. And in Atlanta, at the Votelanta Music Festival, young voters from local HBCU campuses showed off their ‘I Voted’ stickers at a concert headlined by Gucci Mane.  

Party at the Polls combines three proven strategies to increase voter turnout – making voting a social activity, leveraging trusted messengers, and encouraging people to make a plan to vote. Research shows that people are motivated to vote when they see it as a social activity done with friends, families and neighbors. By making voting a shared community act, Parties at the Polls leverage what people enjoy about coming together and create more positive associations with voting. 

We also know that friends, family and neighbors are the best messengers. Community connections matter when it comes to voting. And finally, voting is more likely when you have a plan. Because these parties invite voters to be near a polling location at a certain time, it functions as a plan-making mechanism and an additional reason to put voting on the calendar. 

When it comes to elections, it sometimes seems like everyone is searching for the “magic potion” – the one new thing that will solve the epidemic of low voter turnout and enthusiasm. Could it be a crisis? A candidate? Anger at the threats against our rights or freedoms? Or could voters be swayed by their favorite artists, TikTok creators, athletes or television shows? The research shows over and over again that the answer is much simpler. It’s about creating community. 

We know critical races can be decided by just dozens of votes and the 2022 midterms are shaping up to have multiple tightly contested statewide and local races. Parties at the Polls can be the difference-maker in determining the outcomes and deciding the direction of our democracy and country. We already have the “magic” and the opportunity to turn out voters year over year – during this election season and in the ones to come. Let’s not waste it. 

Stephanie L. Young is executive director of the nonpartisan voting initiative When We All Vote.