As Americans prepare to cast their vote in the 2024 election, issues like the economy, inflation, the cost of living, reproductive rights, child care, and freedom are top of mind for voters – especially infrequent voters of color. Though the presidential ticket shakeup energized millions, 34 days from Election Day, our data shows us the pathway we need to close the enthusiasm gap that still exists. After speaking with more than 300,000 voters of color across six key states as of mid-September, we’re still seeing high levels of disillusionment with our political system.
For almost 20 years, Community Change Action and our political committee, Community Change Voters, have redefined electoral organizing by focusing on a north star that usually goes ignored by traditional campaigns: engaging hard-to-find, hard-to-reach Black, Latino, Native, AAPI, immigrant, women, and young voters to turn out for candidates that align with their values. This work has ramped up to a historical high in the past few months as November fast approaches, focusing on states with key swing districts where voters of color have been consequential to election results.
To date, our program has made 315,822 presidential candidate IDs – commitments from voters on who they will vote for – in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The scale of Community Change Action/Voters’ Harris candidate ID’s is the largest from an independent expenditure program. We’ve learned:
- There is a large percentage of undecided voters among our target bloc – about 20%
- Latinos have the highest scale of persuadable voters and while AAPI voters have a high percentage of undecided they just don’t have the same scale of vote share as Latino voters have in each state – still, we consider both constituencies high priorities for persuadable audiences
- Black voters are the voting bloc that trends with the highest level of support, but they have a long way in reaching 2020 vote share trends
- While most polls show a strong gender gap, the only clear gender gap we have seen from our IDs is from undecided voters in Michigan, where women were trending better for Harris than men
- Gen Z voters are slightly trending with the highest percentages of undecided voters and “not voting”
In this memo, we will share details about our electoral organizing program and strategy, critical districts, and anticipated canvassing outcomes in each of our priority states. Press who are interested in shadowing a canvass or other voter outreach events can reach us at srhart@communitychange.org.
Program Overview
For the 2024 cycle, Community Change Action and Community Change Voters are investing the majority of our efforts into Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, co-implementing and co-strategizing with grassroots organizations with established community relationships as we run voter engagement programs with high-impact to our voters. Through this work, we alongside our partners plan to:
- Hold more than 2 million conversations with voters in our target states through multiple channels, including volunteer and paid canvass, phone calls, relational voter contact, mail, events, paid digital, and influencers.
- Double down on building a scaled and data-driven relational voter contact program, using tools and training to equip a community of volunteers to contact their hard-to-find friends and family, aiming to reach equal or greater number of voters than the last margin of victory in the state.
- Activate our base of Community Change Childcare Changemakers to become organizers in their communities, host turn out the vote events, and base build with other providers and parents through our childcare voter program.
- Use our Digital Creator Program to tap influencers who have built online communities to talk about the importance of voting and critical political issues with their followers. We work with these influencers to share these messages in ways that feel authentic to their existing content, and receive feedback in real time, which helps us to shape national narrative and strategy. So far this election cycle, our program has solicited over four million views.
Program Targets
Arizona
Community Change Action/Voters are focused on electing Ruben Gallegos to the U.S. Senate and defeating Kari Lake’s campaign for the seat, as well as electing progressive candidates to Arizona’s first and sixth congressional districts and securing Arizona’s 11 electoral votes.
We are partnered with Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), an organization led by changemakers fighting for social, racial, and economic transformation, and Our Voice Our Vote (OVOV), a member-led organization committed to advocating for sustainable progressive public policies that address the most pressing issues in our communities, to execute our goal of knocking almost 2 million doors and making hundreds of thousands of phone calls to target voters in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Coconino. We are currently at 35% of that goal.
We also work with SEIU to activate our relational organizing program throughout the state.
Nevada
Community Change Action/Voters are focused on re-electing Jacky Rosen to the U.S. Senate, and electing progressive candidates in the first, third, and fourth congressional districts, and securing Nevada’s six electoral votes.
We’re working with Make the Road Action Nevada (MRNV), who works to build the power of Latinx and working-class people of color to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, and transformative education, and Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund (PLAN Action), an organization focused on policy change at the local, state, and federal level that benefits the people of Nevada and of this nation to hit our goals of knocking almost 440,000 doors and making 877,000 phone calls to target voters in Clark, Elko, Nye, Humboldt and Washoe counties. We are currently at 51% of that goal.
Canvassers with Make the Road Action Nevada
Georgia
Community Change Action/Voters are focused on securing Georgia’s 16 electoral votes and turning out voters of color in large numbers to delegitimize right-wing attempts to discredit and disqualify election results.
Our partners in this work are Black Male Initiative Fund and Brothas Inc, organizations seeking to create effective outcomes for our communities by empowering black men economically and civically, and Asian American Advocacy Fund, an organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia. Together, we aim to knock 825,000 doors and make over a million phone calls to targeted voters in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, Gwinnett counties. We have currently met 25% of that goal.
Wisconsin
Community Change Action/Voters are focused on re-electing Tammy Baldwin to the U.S. Senate and making sure Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes are secured to help middle and working class families.
We have a goal with our partner Center for Racial and Gender Equity, who runs grassroots policy and electoral campaigns that engage Black voters and build Black women’s leadership to advance a legislative agenda and candidates that explicitly support Black women’s liberation, to knock 270,000 doors and make 25,000 phone calls to target voters in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha, Dane and Rock counties. We have currently met 40% of that goal.
We also work with Voces de la Frontera, an organization led by low-income workers, youth, and immigrants to protect and expand civil rights and workers’ rights, who is working to reach 35,000 voters through relational organizing tactics.
Michigan
Community Change Action/Voters are focused on electing Rep. Elissa Slotkin to the U.S. Senate and defeating Mike Rogers, electing progressive candidates to the third, seventh, eighth, and tenth congressional districts, and securing Michigan’s 15 electoral votes.
To meet our goals of knocking almost 360,000 doors and making 1,175,000 calls to target voters in Michigan, we’re working with grassroots organizations Michigan United Action, a statewide organization of leaders working for economic and racial justice, and Michigan Liberation, a statewide network of people and organizations organizing to end the criminalization of Black families and communities of color in Michigan. We are 60% away from meeting our goal.
Canvassers and Organizers with Michigan Liberation
Conclusion
We know that the 2024 election will be a high turnout election and the outcomes will come down to our ability to turn out Black, Latino, and low-income voters – voters who often tip the scales when they are engaged and empowered to use their vote. And with a progressive political landscape that feels revitalized and ready for change, we’d be remiss not to use every tool in our arsenal to move voters to the polls by having as many one-on-one conversations with potential voters through the trusted messengers we activate that are proven to actually convince them to show up at the ballot box.