The Problem
After the city council in Salem, Oregon, imposed a new payroll tax in the city, signatures were collected to put the proposed tax on the ballot for voters’ approval or overturning.
Majority Strategies was tapped to identify the right audience of people to persuade and motivate to turn out and vote in favor of overturning the proposed tax.
The Goal
In an off-year election, we knew a win on Election Day would very likely come down to targeting the right people and how many of those people turn out to cast their ballot.
The goal became very simple: Use the established effects of the proposed tax increase to target those most likely to be affected by it and deliver compelling direct mail and digital ads that ensured these people were aware of the proposed tax, understood the ramifications of the proposal, and were motivated to turn out and vote in favor of overturning it.
The Plan
Specifically, that meant targeting registered Republicans with an established, consistent record of voting – “Hard Republicans” – as well as those who had signed the petition to put the initiative on the ballot.
Quite a bit of research had already been completed documenting the economic impact of the proposed payroll tax. The Majority Strategies team dove into that research and focused the creative of the direct mail and digital ads on the numbers – how much the tax would cost the average worker and/or family every year.
The Results
Of the 20,108 voters who were targeted by our campaign, 13,796 turned out to vote and cast their ballot.
That 68.6% turnout rate amounted to a 34.3% turnout lift v. all voters.
The payroll tax suffered a resounding defeat at the ballot box with 81.73% of voters voting against the proposal.
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2023 General Election
| Total | Voted | Turnout % | Turnout Lift | |
| District Total | 112,394 | 38.614 | 34.4% | |
| Total Targets | 20,108 | 13,796 | 68.6% | 34.3% |
| High Turnout GOP | 15,212 | 10,913 | 71.7% | 37.4%
|
| Petition Signers | 7,249 | 5,210 | 71.9% | 37.5% |
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Conclusion
From the onset, our goal was to turn out enough of the proposal’s opponents to overturn the new payroll tax and send a resounding message to city council. Majority Strategies accomplished this by delivering the right message to the right people, in the right medium, at the right time.
Contact the Majority Strategies team today to get started on your data-driven voter contact plans.