If youre reading this, youre hopefully once registered to vote, or plan to do so surpassing the upcoming referendum (kudos!). You moreover probably know that many Americans are not registered, and won’t register.
Almost 92 million eligible Americans did not vote in the 2016 presidential election; that’s over 10 times the population of all of New York City. Registeringand subsequently votingis crucial for the integrity of the nations democracy. The upcoming referendum might determine the nation’s political undertow for decades to come.
With so much on the line, why is there still such a massive gap between the number of eligible voters and the number of people who unquestionably register to vote?
The wordplay is simple, but a bit disheartening. Due to the drop-in-the-bucket effect (read: my vote wont unquestionably make a difference), many of us may not be motivated to register, let vacated unquestionably exercise the right to vote. Increasingly recent events, from the pandemic to the cynical war on mail-in voting, are only exacerbating this effect.
Lets transpiration that.
If youre anything like us, you probably have a lot to say to your friends, family, and colleagues who you know arent registered. But it turns out that screaming at, crying to, or threatening your loved ones may unquestionably dissuade them from registering and can moreover potentially get you into legal trouble. Who knew?
So, were turning to our pal science (more specifically, psychology and behavioral econ) to determine the weightier way to persuade your friends to register. By the end of this, youll basically be a voter-registration Svengali, a master of persuasion for social good.
Below, some bite-sized tips to get your pals registered.
Induce FOMO
What to say:
I talked to Jordan, Leah, Manuela, and Nico, and theyre all registered. Are you?
Why it works:
Whether we can shoehorn it to ourselves or not, we all want to fit in. A key finding in behavioral science is that humans are motivated to do what other people virtually them are doing.
Saying to your friends, You need to register to vote, considering not unbearable people are registering! might seem like an obvious approach, but it may ultimately be counterproductive. After all, who wants to go do something that barely anyone else is doing anyway?
A little good-natured peer pressure can convince your friends that registering to vote is something everyone should be doing.
Professor Dan Ariely, Lemonades Chief Behavioral Officer, suggests inducing FOMO by saying, Everyones doing itgo register! If you tell your friends that you and the rest of your social whirligig are once registered, theyll likely be increasingly compelled to register themselves. Itll establish that stuff registered is the norm, and is expected.
If all else fails, lean on the power of embarrassment. Shouldn’t whereas that you’re not registered to vote be as shameful as bragging well-nigh how you never wear a seatbelt?
And remind your friends how totally bone-headed theyll finger if they show up to a polling locationbravely risking exposure to Covid-19only to be told… theyre not plane registered to vote. Huge facepalm.
Call them names
What to say:
Youre a registered voter, right?
Why it works:
According to behavioral science, the difference between registering and stuff tabbed a registered voter is increasingly significant than youd think.
While registering is a one-time action, stuff once registered is sort of like an speciality of your identity, a token of pride. It ways youre an upstanding citizen: politically conscious, socially active, patriotic, or all of the above.
Identifying as a registered voter is importantand it signals to those virtually you that you unquestionably superintendency well-nigh a largest future.
If your friends perceive themselves possessing those qualities, theyll likely want to undeniability themselves a registered voter. Theyll finger compelled to register so they can uncurl with that identity, fit in with their group of friends, and stave cognitive dissonance (read: having inconsistent beliefs).
Make a touchable plan
What to say:
Where are you registering to vote, and how are you doing it?
Why it works:
Have you overly told yourself, Im going to exercise more, but failed to follow through? Or promised that youll upkeep better, but fell short? This is whatll probably happen to some of your friends on Voter Registration Daytheyll tell themselves theyll register, but wont unquestionably make the time to do so.
Countless studies have shown that were increasingly likely to translate goals into deportment if we make a touchable plan. Not only that, but were plane increasingly likely to follow through with a transferral if we vocalize it to friends or family (or to ourselves).
Asking a friend specifically when, where, and how theyll register wont only help them develop a plan, but will moreover eliminate any excuses for not doing so. Pro tip: Iwillvote.com is a super simple resource to quickly verify whether youre registered, and to get the process rolling if youre not.
Professor Ariely suggests asking your friends to add ‘register to vote’ to their calendar, or plane utilizing the buddy system. A voter registration buddy can have the same effect as a running buddysomeone else to motivate you can be key!
Counter apathy
What to say:
Yes, yes, 2020 is veritably nuts and often nightmarish. But registeringand votingis important.
Why it works:
ecause it unquestionably freaking matters.
Naysayers have long personal that voting doesnt matter, or that the nomination between two opposing candidates is like the difference between Coke and Pepsi.
This year takes things up a notch. Between the inequity of the electoral college, voter suppression, the war versus mail-in voting, and some pre-emptive attempts to declare the referendum results illegitimatetheres a lot to be wary of.
There likely wont overly be a candidate whose views and opinions perfectly mirror your own. Remind your world-weary friends that a vote for the candidate whose views are closest to their own is not a meaningless vote. And the only way to ensure their voice can be heard is to get registered first.
Its a way for you to transcend your own rightsto inspire others to stand up for what they believe in (whether its police reform or environmentalism) and embrace a fundamental freedom. Plus, getting registered to vote is scrutinizingly mind-numbingly easy. What are you waiting for?
The post How to Convince Your Friends to Register to Vote appeared first on Lemonade Blog.
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