Absentee Ballot Request Scripts: How to Ask Voters to Request Their Ballot

Absentee ballots are crucial for any election to increase voter turnout. In the 2018 midterm elections, 40% of voters used alternative voting methods, such as absentee ballots and mail-in voting. Many of them had submitted a request for absentee ballot in advance to ensure their participation. In 2020, this number climbed up to 69%.

The three primary reasons why absentee ballots have gained popularity include:

1. Accessibility. Senior citizens, people with disabilities, and overseas military staff can participate in the democratic process through absentee ballots.
2. Convenience. Absentee ballots ensure people can still participate when work, travel, health, or other circumstances make Election Day voting difficult.
3. Inclusivity. Absentee voting can make participation more accessible for voters who face barriers to voting in person.

Due to these reasons, absentee voting has seen a tremendous increase over the years.

An incredible rise in 2020, primarily owing to COVID-related curbs and social distancing. Source: Pew Research Center. The U.S. Census Bureau also reported how people voted in 2020.

For campaigns that run absentee ballot outreach each election cycle, this surge is good news. However, requesting a ballot and chasing its return are not the same task. An absentee ballot request script helps a voter find and submit the official request or application. Ballot chasing begins later, after a ballot has been issued and remains unreturned.

This article explores challenges in requesting absentee ballots, best practices, and scripts you can use when asking voters to opt for absentee voting.

Challenges in the request for absentee ballot registration

Understanding people’s challenges with a request for absentee ballot procedure can help you navigate your conversations. Empathizing with on-ground realities can provide insight into directing your phone calls and maximizing requests.

We’ve identified the top challenges people face when requesting an absentee ballot:

1. Lack of awareness: Voters often report that they were not aware of request dates, deadlines, voter rights, or how to find the official process.
2. Eligibility and process confusion: Some states require an excuse while others do not. Some automatically mail ballots to eligible voters, while others require a request. Rules vary by jurisdiction.
3. Access barriers: Language, disability, address changes, documentation, or lack of internet access can make the request harder to complete.
4. Fears of vote suppression: With the popularity of absentee ballots, there are also fears within marginalized groups that their votes will be rejected. Studies have found some truth to these fears, but it is also true that absentee ballots give these groups greater accessibility to voting.

Read Also: Why You Must Include Mail-In Ballots in Your Next Campaign

How to request for absentee ballot registration

When you make phone calls to request an absentee ballot, you need to know:

• what topics to cover in each phone call,
• the number of times you need to contact a voter before the request deadline, and
• what you need to run a successful campaign.

This section covers these points for you.

What topics to cover when requesting for absentee ballot registration?

Here’s a list of topics you can cover during calls to voters:

1. Voter identification: If the list you have received for your campaign is not clean or is very old, run a voter identification campaign. Your call to voters should include questions about whether absentee ballot voting is suitable for them. Voters in some states may automatically receive ballots without submitting applications requesting one. Keep voter registration separate from the absentee ballot request in the script and database.
2. Official request information: Share the voter’s official state or local request page, request deadline, and election-office contact. USAGov and Vote.gov can route voters to state information, but the relevant election office should answer eligibility or voter-specific questions.
3. Alternatives: You can also inform voters that official sources provide information about in-person and early-voting options if they decide not to request an absentee ballot.

How many times should I contact a voter?

Request outreach begins with asking whether a voter wants official information and ends once the request is confirmed, the voter declines, the deadline passes, or the voter opts out. Contact frequency should follow status, not a fixed call count.

1. Make the initial request ask.
2. Send the official link if the voter wants it.
3. Follow up once before the request deadline if the request remains unconfirmed and your contact rules permit it.
4. Stop request reminders as soon as the request is confirmed.

What else do I need to run a successful request for absentee ballot campaign?

Before you begin your campaign with the request for absentee ballot, here’s what you need:

1. Identify your target universe: Who will your campaign target? Will you contact only those voters who have previously voted by mail, or will you expand to include new voters? Will you focus on those who will automatically receive ballots, or those who must submit applications requesting one? These decisions will shape your outreach strategy ahead of both this and the subsequent election.

Tip: Updated information about the profession, relocation, or other factors influencing one’s challenges to vote in person will help you create a more comprehensive list for the absentee ballot target audience.

1. Run a voter identification campaign: Depending on your answer to the previous question, run a voter identification campaign to identify voters who fall under your target universe. These include voters who have previously opted to vote through absentee ballots or are most likely to choose that option.

Read Also: Your Quick Guide to Voter Identification Laws in the US

1. Train and assign agents: Train your agents to use your phonebanking software and the script you will use to request absentee ballots. Prepare them for different voter scenarios, including uncertainty about eligibility, address changes, accessibility needs, and questions that must be referred to an election official.

Read Also: How to train your campaign volunteers

1. Use a good phonebanking software: Your phonebanking software needs to:

• Handle large call volumes.
• Allow you to manage and monitor agents.
• Add scripts. Bonus points if they allow you to add dynamic scripts to make calls easier for your agents.
• Help you stay compliant during the campaign with technology such as SHAKEN/STIR or features like the FastClick dialer.
• Integrate multiple channels, such as text and email, to reach out to voters.
• Add tags and call dispositions to improve your targeting.
• Help you avoid getting labeled as spam to increase pickup rates. Features such as Spam Label Shield are designed for it.

Well, you know we would recommend a great calling software if we knew one. And we do! CallHub is built to address the needs of GOTV campaigns reaching out to voters specifically. Learn how Democrats Abroad used CallHub to run their absentee ballot outreach campaign.

Now that you know the challenges and best practices, we’ve designed scripts you can use when speaking to voters. Read on.

Request for absentee ballot scripts

We’ve developed multiple scripts for different stages of the request for absentee ballot. These scripts cover the initial ask, request follow-up, and text messages. Return reminders belong in a separate ballot-chase program.

However, before you proceed, there are some terms you must be familiar with:

1. Call dispositions: Call dispositions indicate the end result of a call. On CallHub, when you end a call, you can mark the contact as interested, request link sent, already requested, unresponsive, wrong person, declined, or opted out. Those tags can help tailor further follow-ups effectively.
2. Autodialers: Autodialers distribute calls among available agents and reduce the manual work involved in dialing. Use them with a clean, permissioned list and an approved calling plan.
3. Branching scripts: These are logic-based scripts that direct agents to the associated reply based on your callee’s response. For example, if one voter says no to a question and another says yes, the next part of the script reflected to the agent will be different. See how branching scripts work:

Voter registration script for absentee ballots

Campaign Brief:

You are calling voters in the [area name] area to understand if they intend to vote this election cycle. Once you establish that, ask them if they would like official information about requesting an absentee ballot.

Hello, may I speak to [name]?

My name is [agent name]. I am calling from [campaign name].

If not available: May I know when would be a good time to speak with them?

Understand and note down if the voter is currently unavailable, moved away, moved abroad, or passed away. Set call disposition as appropriate.

If available: I am calling to ask if you intend to vote this year and whether you would like official information about requesting an absentee ballot.

If no to absentee voting: Thank them for their time. Do not pressure them to choose a voting method.

If yes: Share the official request page and the request deadline listed by the voter’s state or local election office. Ask whether they would like the link by text.

If an absentee ballot has already been requested: Thank them and mark the request as confirmed so request reminders stop. Refer status questions to their local election official.

If they ask about eligibility or documents: Explain that rules vary and share the official election-office contact rather than interpreting the requirement.

Add the call disposition. End the call.

Notes:

• Ask if they need the official request link or election-office contact.
• Collect their mobile number only if they are open to receiving text messages and the campaign is permitted to do so.
• Send a follow-up text with the official request link.
• Update relevant survey responses on your calling tool to help future outreach.

Awareness campaigns for absentee ballots

Campaign brief:

We have identified voters who want to request an absentee ballot but have not confirmed submitting the request. The goal is to help them find official information and complete the request before the request deadline.

Hello, may I speak with [voter name]? I am calling from [campaign name], and my name is [agent name].

If not available: Thank you. When would be a good time to reach them? Schedule a callback.

If available: We previously shared information about requesting an absentee ballot. Were you able to find the official request form?

If no: Is there a problem finding the official page, or would you like the election-office contact? I can resend it.

If submitted: That’s great. I will mark the request as submitted and stop request reminders. For confirmation or status questions, please use the official election-office contact.

If they have a question: Answer only from the approved information sheet. Refer eligibility, documentation, deadline exceptions, or voter-specific questions to the election office.

Thank you for your time. Add the call disposition.

Reminder and follow-up texts

Use text messages to send the official request page or one clear reminder. Identify the organization and honor opt-outs. Replace the bracketed fields with current, jurisdiction-specific information.

Initial text: Hi [first name], this is [volunteer name] with [organization]. Want official information about requesting an absentee ballot for [election name]? Check eligibility and request options here: [official request URL]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Link follow-up: Here is the official [state or local election office] request page we discussed: [official request URL]. The office lists the request deadline as [request deadline]. Questions about your eligibility or form should go to [official contact].

Deadline reminder: Reminder from [organization]: if you plan to request an absentee ballot, review the official process before the request deadline: [official request URL]. Already requested? Reply DONE so we can stop request reminders. Reply STOP to opt out.

Already requested: Thanks for confirming. We have marked the request as submitted and will stop request reminders. For confirmation or status information, contact [official election office].

Opt-out confirmation: You have been opted out of messages from [organization].

When request outreach becomes ballot chasing

A submitted request is not the same as a ballot being issued. A ballot being issued is not the same as its return. Stop request reminders when the request is confirmed. Move a voter to ballot-chase outreach only when permitted, current data shows a ballot was issued and remains outstanding.

For return reminders, use the separate absentee ballot chase guide. This protects voters from receiving an obsolete request message after completing the step.

What’s next?

Request for absentee ballot outreach is one piece in the get-out-the-vote puzzle. Having a strategy to make all your GOTV campaigns successful is the key to increasing voter turnout. Read our article, The All-in-one Guide for Get Out The Vote (GOTV), to plan your get-out-the-vote strategy. For a step-by-step breakdown of every stage in a GOTV program, from voter ID through Election Day turnout, see our complete guide to GOTV. All the best for your campaign!

Frequently asked questions

Shiksha Sharma

Shiksha Sharma is a Content Marketer with over 5 years of experience in the B2B SaaS industry. She has extensively written about software that helps organizations work easily. Her areas of research include politics, nonprofits, advocacy, and business.