Talking to Swing Voters


Only about 1 out of 10 people are swing voters.  This varies widely between Federal and local elections and different areas of the country.  Identify your swing voters with a few questions: Are you registered to vote?  if yes > Do you vote regularly? if yes > What do you know about candidate X? The answer to this question should give you an idea of where they fit in the list below.

 

1.                  Swing Voter - Votes independently of party or platform (~10%)

2.                  Base Voter - Consistently votes with candidate's party or platform (~20%)

3.                  Non Voter - People who do not vote (~50%)

4.                  Anti-Base Voter - Consistently votes against candidate's party or platform (~20%)

 

You can not talk at swing voters and make them come to you.  You have to go to where they are and nudge them in the direction you want them to go. 

 

When talking to a swing voter, ask about their family and people they care about.

1.   Who do you care about the most?

Memories of close relationships are stored in a different part of the brain than the part that is defensive or aggressive.  Follow up by asking:

2.   Do you have children, nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers?
      Do you have any relatives who are seriously ill or disabled?

This will break any conservative pattern of thought and activate the more liberal side of their brain, which will make the rest of your conversation easier.  Now ask them:

3.   What issues are most important to you?

They will give you a better answer after first thinking about who they care for.

MYTH: I have to persuade more than half the people I talk to.

 

REALITY: The number of people you actually need to persuade with direct voter contact is usually not very big but you have to talk to a large number of voters to reach that small percentage.  For example, if your race is even and there are 10% of persuadable voters, you only have to persuade 5% + 1 vote, to win with a majority.  That 5% is crucial but the point is not to get discouraged if a large number of voters don't respond to you.  The key is to make a personal connection with as many voters as possible.

·                     Speak with calm, conviction and confidence.  Show no doubt or hesitation.

“What convinces is conviction.  Believe in the argument you're advancing.  If you don't you're as good as dead.  The other person will sense that something isn't there, and no chain of reasoning, no matter how logical or elegant or brilliant, will win your case for you.” -- Lyndon B. Johnson

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

·                     Ask more questions, listen and learn from the people you talk to.  Listening builds trust, respect and empathy.  If you listen to others, they are more likely to listen to you. 

·                     Use attentive body language to show you are focused on them.  Don't interrupt. 

·                     Pause before you respond to show you are thinking about what they said. 

·                     Summarize what they have said in fewer words.  Try to give some positive feedback. 

·                     Disagree with the argument, not the person.  Be respectful not angry or condescending.

·                     Smile; be articulate, polite, outgoing, friendly, concerned, sincere and humble.

·                     Avoid a shouting match.  If they raise their voice, lower your voice.

·                     Don't waste time on stubborn or argumentative people. Avoid them and move on.

·                     Don't waste time on someone who already agrees with you but wants to debate the finer points. Encourage them to help you reach out and talk to more people.

·                     Seek out nice open minded people who are undecided. They are usually shy and less willing to talk about politics but they are your target audience.

·                     Ask questions (Socratic Method). Don't force your issues on people.

·                     Frame your points with your language and context.

"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak." -- Paul Wellstone

·                     If they regurgitate sound bites, which will usually be about wedge or hot button issues, be prepared to re-frame your response back toward values and core issues of poverty, healthcare, education and the environment.

·                     Be prepared to answer questions with good research.

·                     Don't ad lib or make stuff up. If they ask a tough question, use it as an excuse to get their contact information. Say you don't know and ask them for their name, email address and phone number.  Research their question and get back to them.

·                     Stay focused on the person you are talking to, do not go off on tangents.

·                     Don't try to convince everyone you talk to. You won't be the only one talking to each person. Make a good impression but don't push it.

·                     Wrap it up and move on to someone else.  Let them think about what you have discussed.

·                     Have fun. The first few people you talk to will be the hardest. Don't expect great success right away. You will become an expert if you stick with it and that will be extremely rewarding.

"Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and the world." -- Paul Wellstone

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person." -- Mother Teresa

This quick reference guide was written, compiled and edited by Todd Smyth, 2005. Please reproduce and distribute for maximum positive impact to establish and preserve democracy.

 

For more information on persuasion go to: http://changingminds.org/

For more information on framing go to: http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/

 

P.S. - The Greek origin of the word "idiot" means one who is not political. No joke, look it up.