ALLIANCE SAN DIEGO
Electoral Impact 2012
In the run up to the November 2012 election, Alliance San Diego (ASD) conducted one of the largest voter engagement programs ever conducted by a community organization in this city. We focused on low propensity voters (voted in less than 3 of the 5 previous primary or general elections), new-citizen voters, and voters of color, all of OUTREACH VOTERS whom are underrepresented in our democracy. METHOD REACHED Phone Conversations
21,000
Door Conversations
17,500
Targeted Mailers
11,000
Robocalls
36,000
Note: some voters reached multiple times.
Our goal was to mobilize 5% of the total voter turnout in the city (most close elections are decided with 5% or less of the vote), and demonstrate the potential of an underrepresented electorate. To reach this goal, we partnered with two community allies, United African-American Ministerial Action Council (UAAMAC) and Alianza de Liderazgo Comunitario (formerly Proyecto de Casas Saludables) to hire team members and turn out voters from the communities we targeted.
Our team of over 100 paid canvassers and 150 volunteers held peer-to-peer and in-language conversations with voters at the door and over the phone. We supplemented the canvassing with a bilingual mailer to Latino voters and robocalls to African-American, Latino, and new-citizen voters who weren’t easily reached. Over the course of six weeks, our canvassers educated voters about issues on the ballot, gave them a voter guide on the measures, and encouraged them to vote. In the final four days leading up to the election, we recontacted voters, providing them with their polling location and reminding them to vote. Altogether, Alliance San Diego reached 75,674 unique voters. On election day, 56,552 of these underrepresented and often overlooked voters cast their ballot. They voted at the same rate as the city electorate (75%) and constituted 11% of the total city turnout, making them a decisive vote in close elections.
75,674 Reached by ASD
56,552 Votes Cast 11% of City Turnout
ASD Impact in Select Voting Districts ASD VOTER
% OF DISTRICT
TURNOUT
VOTES
City of San Diego
56,552
11%
SD CD 4
14,724
33%
SD CD 6
9,491
17%
SD CD 9
8,863
24%
CA AD 79
16,789
19%
CA SD 39
32,380
8%
US CD 52
18,939
7%
US CD 53
18,505
12%
Source: San Diego Voter Data from PDI. 3 7 5 0 3 0 t h S t r e e t , S a n D i e g o , C A 9 210 4 • 619 - 2 6 9 - 18 2 3 • a l l i a n c e s d . o r g
2012 VOTER TURNOUT
Mobilizing For Change
In the November 2012 election, Alliance San Diego’s direct conversations with voters significantly increased turnout in every demographic group and especially among voters of color, new-citizen voters, low propensity voters, and young voters (under 35). Of the 28,000 voters that we spoke with one-on-one (many of whom we spoke with twice), 82 percent turned out to vote. This rate was 7 points higher than the citywide turnout of 75 percent, pointing to the importance of direct voter outreach to underrepresented voters. The high turnout rate also speaks to the potential of this emerging and often overlooked electorate to be not only the margin of decision in close elections, but also a driving force in setting a social justice agenda. Citywide Turnout Turnout of ASD Contacts Voter Turnout (%) by Ethnicity 69
African American
85
65
Latino
50
60
70
80
70
74
35-44
80
90
90
81 50
60
70
80
90
Turnout (%) of Low Propensity Voters 90
80
82
81 76 72
80 79 70
73
60
60 50
60
25-34
Voter Turnout (%) of Foreign Born and US Born
70
60
77
71
Filipino
54
18-24
77 69
Asian (Filipino+)
Voter Turnout (%) by Age
New Citizens
US Born
50 Voted less than 3 of 5 last elections
Source: San Diego Voter Data from PDI. 3 7 5 0 3 0 t h S t r e e t , S a n D i e g o , C A 9 210 4 • 619 - 2 6 9 - 18 2 3 • a l l i a n c e s d . o r g