When a major election arrived amid a global pandemic, voters across the U.S. looked for safe ways to participate and avoid election day crowds. But voting laws varied by state and, often, by county. The rules were changing constantly. And disinformation swirled on social media, fueled by many of the political candidates themselves. Clear, trustworthy information needed to find voters and stick with them so they sidestep confusion, take action, and make their voices heard.
The situation
To safely vote during a pandemic, voters were encouraged to take advantage of alternative voting methods, such as vote-by-mail, for the first time. This shift, along with disinformation and a lack of support from leaders, meant potential voter confusion and low turnout.
What we did
We created The Ballot Bunch, a quirky yet sometimes ridiculous cast of characters that lived on Instagram and Twitter. The Ballot Bunch shared fact-based voting information by trendjacking popular topics and making appearances in pop culture and other unexpected places where potential voters could be found.
What happened next
Preliminary election results are showing record-setting voter turnout, particularly among early voters, and we’re proud of The Ballot Bunch’s contributions to this trend. Despite no advertising on Twitter and Instagram’s strict regulations on election-related content, the social media campaign received over 200,000 impressions through nearly 400 original posts over six weeks.
Leading media in the creative services industry agree:
Betsy Henning, AHA co-founder and managing principal, said, “We are compelled to use our voice to speak the truths that are important to us—as people, as creatives, as Americans—in addition to the work we do for clients. I could not be prouder of this work or the people who have created and promoted it.”
We look for truth. And we search for substance.