Set the expectation that every voter should request a mail ballot in the interest of public health. Communications to voters should frame mail voting as consistent with other pro-health behaviors and include a clear and immediate call to action to request a mail ballot. These messages should be prominent on channels where health is top-of-mind to voters, such as state COVID-19 websites and included in public statements about community health measures and resources.

For many jurisdictions and voters, widespread voting by mail is unfamiliar. As a result, voters may have the now outdated impression that mail balloting is only intended for specific populations. Officials can correct this by establishing a clear norm that everyone should vote by mail in order to protect public health and associating mail voting with COVID-19 response measures, such as social distancing and wearing face masks.

To download a set of ready-to-use postcard templates that you can easily edit for your own jurisdiction, click here.

Eligible voters may fail to request mail ballots when forms are hard to acquire or when there’s no clear moment of choice. Prompting action in locations that voters continue to frequent during the pandemic can make requesting a mail ballot visible and convenient, and ensure ballot request forms are available to everyone.

1. Leverage social service providers

Bundle request forms with any physical goods or in-person services still being provided (such as school meals, or goods distributed via food pantries and mutual aid groups) and encourage users to request a mail ballot during digital interactions with benefits agencies. Doing so can leverage the trust people have in these touchpoints and ensure ballot request forms are available to vulnerable populations. Both cover sheets on printed forms and digital communications should grab recipients’ attention, help them understand why they are being encouraged to request a mail ballot, and encourage them to take action.

Download the below ballot request cover sheet here.

2. Send prompts at free Wi-Fi hotspots 

Many people rely on free Wi-Fi hotspots provided by libraries, schools, and businesses to access the internet. Community organizations offering these hotspots could encourage users to request a mail ballot online during their sessions. Additionally, the Wi-Fi providers could create a sense of reciprocity while offering the internet service by asking users to make a similar investment in their community’s health and well-being. A link to ballot request portals should be provided early in the online session (such as on the log-on page) and should be eye-catching enough to distinguish it from the usual legal jargon.

3. Provide ballot request forms at grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies

Grab shoppers’ attention by placing forms at checkout lines with eye-catching signage. Signage should clearly indicate deadlines and provide information about alternate means of requesting a ballot. Provide secure drive-up form return boxes near the stores, or inform people of the location of nearby mailbox(es), so they can complete the request forms in their cars and mail them before returning home.

Offer voters the option to opt-in to receive a mail ballot during the voter registration process. Combining these steps makes mail voting salient, reduces hassles for voters, and removes the need for election officials to capture voters’ attention at a later point.

Include a checkbox on the voter registration form where individuals can request a mail ballot for upcoming elections. This process should opt voters in to the most expansive version of mail voting available in their jurisdiction, such as a permanent vote-by-mail list or mail voting for both the primary and general election. Include language highlighting why mail voting is encouraged, and that requesting a mail ballot does not eliminate the option of voting in person.

Download an editable version of the below mail ballot opt-in language here.

Nudge voters to sign up for ballot tracking simultaneously when requesting a mail ballot. Combining the steps positions ballot tracking as a natural complement to mail voting and removes the need to capture voters’ attention at a later point. Ballot tracking has been shown to increase confidence in the voting system, so cultivating widespread and early adoption of tracking can significantly increase voter trust in upcoming elections.

Ideally, add email and/or phone fields on the ballot request form and automatically opt in voters into ballot tracking. Defaulting people into the tool frames tracking as the norm and removes the hassle of signing up. Alternately, send a follow-up communication to voters who provide their email or phone encouraging them to sign up for ballot tracking. Officials can also include a tear-off section on request forms with ballot tracking sign-up instructions. Emphasize that ballot tracking provides voters with certainty about the status of their ballot, leveraging voters’ dislike of risk-taking to encourage uptake of ballot tracking and increasing voters’ confidence in the process.

Download an editable version of the below ballot tracking signup language here.