Connecticut Democratic Party Innovates Voter Registration Practices

Background

The Connecticut Democratic Party fights for its values stateside by holding Republicans accountable and working to elect Democrats at the federal, state, and local levels.

Challenge

The party wanted to help register and turn out Democrats at all levels during the 2022 election cycle. Incumbent Governor and Democrat Ned Lamont was on the ballot, and the Governor was running against Republican challenger Bob Stefanowski, a candidate who had run for governor against Lamont four years before.

Between the gubernatorial race, a Congressional race, and several competitive state house and senate races in the state, registering and turning out voters was essential for Democratic victories in Connecticut.

Solution

The Connecticut Democrats wanted to expand the potential electorate in the state and reach likely Democratic voters by mail. By identifying and targeting likely movers in the state, we helped the party reach out to 9,691 potential likely Democratic voters across Connecticut.

A voter registration campaign by mail is especially effective in Connecticut, where in-person voter registration programs can fall short of registration goals, given the state's unique geography. Foot traffic can bring in folks from surrounding states, as Connecticut is small in area, and residents of other states often visit it regularly.

Programs

Voter Registration Mail

Working with the Connecticut Democratic Party, the Civitech team designed custom mail inserts with messaging encouraging voters to register and vote in the 2022 midterm elections. The mailer included instructions on how residents could register to vote: online, by mail, or in person. The insert also had critical due dates for each voting method.

The mailer included a QR code for folks to scan to update their registration online. For voters who preferred to update their registration in person, the mailers included a QR code with instructions for registering and voting in person on Election Day.

GOTV Text Chase

Voters are more likely to turn out and vote when given reminders, and we recommend following up with text messages. Using Civitech’s SMS/MMS messaging platform, TextOut, the Connecticut Democrats texted voters to remind them to fill out their voter registration forms and turn out to vote. The text messages also included a link for voters to look up their polling location for Election Day.

Results

The Connecticut Democrats’ targeted registration campaign with Civitech was incredibly successful and an improvement over in-person voter registration efforts. Through the program, the party registered 1,389 voters in key areas of the state with a 14.3% registration rate. Of those who registered, 634 of those who registered also voted in the 2022 elections, adding 600+ net new voters to the rolls who are likely to be long-term voters for Democrats in the state.

In the 2022 elections, Democrats won across the state, and Governor Lamont won his election with an even more significant margin than his previous race against Stefanowski.

Numbers

• Registered 1,389 voters out of 9,691 contacted

• 14.3% registration rate

• Turned out 634 of those voters in the 2022 elections

“Voter registration is one of the most important tools we have to expand the number of targets we have to win marginal seats and expand our majority. In 2024, state parties can’t sit on the sidelines when it comes to registering and turning out new voters. We must use new and innovative ways to find and help new Democratic voters overcome the structural disadvantages of voter suppression. We look forward to working with the Civitech team to discover the most efficient and effective methods of contacting voters.”