Phone Banking for GOTV: 7 Best Strategies for Voter Turnout

Phone calls for GOTV are the single most effective way to increase voter turnout. Experts have witnessed an increase in voter turnout by an average of 3.8 to 4.5 percentage points through GOTV calls, making them one of the most effective strategies in tight election races.

Phone banking for GOTV is affordable and highly scalable, using autodialer technology that reaches thousands of voters in short durations. It creates a direct, personal link to voters, and unlike impersonal mass messages, phone calls provide a genuine two-way connection — allowing volunteers to encourage, inform, and remind constituents to participate on their own terms.

Let’s examine how to conduct a successful GOTV phone calling campaign.

Phone calls for GOTV: How to run an effective GOTV phone calling campaign

The right phone calls for your GOTV strategy will ensure that you drive as many voters as possible to the polling booths or get them registered to vote — whichever is your aim. Here are the steps:

1. Plan in advance.
2. Use a personal approach.
3. Prepare a strong GOTV call script.
4. Choose the best GOTV calling tools.
5. Schedule GOTV phone calls for maximum impact.
6. Follow legal guidelines.
7. Keep your call simple and brief.

We explain these in detail below.

Step 1: Plan your phone calls for GOTV in advance

Although you will make your GOTV calls only a few weeks before the elections, it is a good practice to prepare in advance. Here is how you can plan your GOTV calls:

1. Determine the universe of voters you would like to target. How many people would there be on that list? How many phone calls would you need to make? Acquire voter data and contact lists to begin your calling campaign.

2. Lay out a timeline for both voter ID and GOTV calls, and what your plan of action for both of these calling campaigns will look like.

3. Select the technology that enables you to connect with this universe of voters. The abilities and features of the technology you choose help you determine the number of working hours your campaign requires, the number of days needed to reach voters, the number of volunteers required, and for how long.

• You can take our quiz to find out which autodialer best suits your campaign.
• You also have to decide on additional means of communication, such as text messaging or email, for follow-ups.

Learn the difference between different dialers through our article Power Dialer vs. Predictive Dialer: What Is Best For Your Campaigns?

4. Calculate the number of volunteers you require for your campaign. You will need more volunteers to cover your ground if you are opting for a manual dialing campaign compared to using an automated dialer, such as a power dialer or predictive dialer.

Here is how you can calculate the number of volunteers you require:

Volunteers required = (Total contacts) / (Dials per hour x Days x Hours per shift)

• Total contacts are the number of contacts on your list.
• Dials per hour refer to the number of calls a single volunteer makes in an hour.
• Days you plan to run the campaign.
• Hours per shift refer to the number of hours in a daily shift assigned to each volunteer.

You can read Recruit Volunteers Today: 6 Quick-Start Steps for Your Cause to learn how to quickly recruit volunteers for your GOTV campaign.

5. Train volunteers and practice mock calls so that they are familiar with all possible queries that might arise during the phone call.

6. Ensure volunteers are aware of key voter information, such as the state ID requirements for voting, the procedures for voting via absentee ballot, and whether a particular state allows early voting. Keep them updated with state-wise voter registration laws.

Step 2: Use a personal approach in your calls

Being personal and having a two-way conversation can significantly impact the effectiveness of your call. When agents are friendly, they make a stronger impression on the constituent, leading to a greater likelihood of them voting. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Be nice and polite.
• Refer to contacts by their name to create an element of friendliness.
• Allow flexibility — if volunteers repeat a script in a robotic voice, voters may be put off by the monotonous tone.

Step 3: Prepare a strong GOTV call script

Creating a good phone script helps in different ways:

1. Your volunteers will be confident about what they say during the call.
2. It helps them remember and stick to the objectives of the call, improving your results.
3. It prompts them to convey information that is too tedious to remember, keeping the message clear and consistent.

CallHub also offers branching script features that allow agents to branch into different scripts based on the constituent’s response.

We have included a GOTV phone call script for your reference:

Sample GOTV script

Introduction:

Hi, my name is {agent_name} and I’m calling from {campaign_name}. Am I speaking with {constituent_name}?

If the answer is no: Can I speak with {constituent_name}? OR When will {constituent_name} be available?

If the answer is yes: {Constituent_name}, I’m calling today to remind you that you can cast your vote on {election_date}.

Question: Can we count on you to vote this year?

If the answer is no: Why not? Voting this year is more important than ever because {insert reason depending on your campaign’s stance}. We can help you register to vote if you would like.

If the answer is yes: That’s great! Do you need our assistance with anything when you vote this year? Have you been registered to vote? How will you vote?

Thank you for your time, {constituent_name}; I hope you have a great week!

Add plan-making questions to your script

The question “Can we count on you to vote?” is a useful opener — but research shows it is not the most effective way to end a GOTV call. The Analyst Institute’s plan-making research found that prompting voters to mentally rehearse when and how they will vote produces measurably better turnout outcomes than a simple commitment ask.

CallHub’s own GOTV script research found that interactive scripts produced a 63.7% turnout rate compared to 62.8% for standard yes/no scripts — nearly a full percentage point higher on a single script change.

Add these questions after a voter confirms they plan to vote:

• “What time do you plan to head to the polls?”
• “How will you be getting there?”
• “Do you know the location of your polling place? I can share that with you.”

These questions take under 30 seconds. They shift the call from a reminder into a logistics conversation, which is exactly what GOTV phone banking should be.

Election day script variation

On election day itself, calls must be even shorter. Use this stripped-down version:

Hi, this is {agent_name} from {campaign_name}. Polls are open until {closing time}. Can we count on you to vote today? Do you need directions to your polling place or a ride?

Three exchanges maximum. If the voter has already voted, thank them and end the call immediately. Do not continue the standard script.

GOTV phone banking vs persuasion phone banking: the key differences

Most campaigns that struggle with GOTV phone banking are using the wrong script for the wrong audience. A persuasion call and a GOTV call have different goals, different targets, and different optimal lengths. Using a persuasion script during GOTV wastes the final days of a campaign on voters who already support you.

The political phone banking guide covers the full range of calling campaign types. Here is how GOTV specifically differs from persuasion calling:

The most common GOTV phone banking mistake is treating this list as flexible. It is not. Calling a confirmed supporter with a persuasion script wastes their time and yours. Calling an undecided voter with a logistics-only GOTV script misses the actual work that still needs to happen with that voter.

Segment your list before any GOTV calling begins. Confirmed supporters go to your GOTV phone bank. Everyone else goes back to the persuasion queue.

Step 4: Choose the best GOTV calling tools

Without exception, you will need to make your GOTV calls to many people to get them to vote. Tools like CallHub help optimize your efforts.

We have listed some software tools you can explore to improve your GOTV phone calling campaign:

With CallHub, you can also connect with CRMs like NationBuilder, NGP VAN, and The Action Network, where your contact data is instantly updated in the CRM.

Step 5: Schedule GOTV phone calls for maximum impact

“A few weeks in advance” is not a GOTV phone banking schedule — it is a starting point. The timing of GOTV calls is one of the most operationally specific aspects of the work, and it changes based on your state’s voting rules and your campaign’s target universe.

Here is the concrete GOTV timing calendar, sourced from Evinco Strategies and Pulsar’s GOTV guides:

4 weeks before election day: early and mail-vote states

In states with high early or mail-vote usage — Colorado, Nevada, Georgia, Oregon, Washington — ballots are often in voters’ hands weeks before election day. Start GOTV phone banking 4 weeks out in these states to catch voters before their mail ballot deadline. A confirmed supporter in Colorado who has not returned their ballot two weeks before election day is already late.

Check early voting calendars and absentee ballot request deadlines for every state you are calling into. Create a state-by-state schedule before the campaign opens — do not rely on a single national start date.

For timing guidance by hour and day of week, read the best time to phone bank data study. The 6-7 pm window on weekdays consistently shows the highest answer rates regardless of campaign phase.

7-10 days before election day: poll-voter-majority states

In states where most voters cast ballots in person on election day, begin GOTV calls 7-10 days before election day. This is enough time for multiple touches per confirmed supporter without burning out your list from over-contact. Pulsar’s GOTV guide recommends 3-5 GOTV touches per supporter across all channels in the final 10 days — more on channel coordination below.

Final 72 hours: peak intensity

The final 72 hours before election day are the highest-impact GOTV window, per Evinco Strategies and Pulsar. During this window:

• Call every available evening until 9 pm (TCPA limit) — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before election day.
• Prioritize your lowest-propensity confirmed supporters — those who said they would vote but have not historically turned out consistently.
• Switch from a predictive dialer (optimized for volume) to a power dialer for these calls if you need to have more substantive logistics conversations with reluctant supporters.
• Do not try to add new persuasion calls to this window. Every call in the final 72 hours should go to a confirmed supporter, not an undecided voter.

Election day: see the election day operations section below

Step 6: Follow legal guidelines for GOTV phone calls

Compliance with regulations should be your top priority when conducting a calling campaign. You can avoid getting fined and having your campaign disrupted if you follow specific rules set by the Federal Election Commission.

Here is a list of FEC guidelines to follow when making GOTV calls:

• Unions and corporations can make GOTV calls within their organization, asking people to get out and vote or vote for a particular candidate or party.
• Organizations can provide transportation to their employees or members to the polling booth.
• As an organization or union, you can operate phone banks to urge your members to vote or vote for a particular party or candidate.
• If you are making communications that contain express advocacy, you must include appropriate federal disclaimers. Look up your state’s disclaimer requirements to learn more.
• You cannot call voters on the Do Not Call list.

TCPA hours apply during GOTV — including election eve and election day. The urgency of the final 72-hour window does not override the federal requirement that calls go out between 8 am and 9 pm in the voter’s local time. Some states have tighter restrictions — Texas limits calls to 9 am-9 pm, for example. CallHub automatically pauses campaigns at 9 pm in the contact’s timezone when timezone scheduling is enabled.

For a full breakdown of state-specific rules, read the political robocall laws guide.

Step 7: Keep GOTV calls short and clear

GOTV conversations must be brief. Your campaign is reaching busy people and taking up their time — ensure your agents convey their points clearly and answer associated questions in a minimal amount of time. Voters decide within the first few seconds whether to stay on a call, which means your agents’ tone, energy, and opening line matter as much as the script itself.

If someone is unsure or does not want to vote, agents can follow the script, but train your agents not to spend too much time trying to convince them otherwise. After all, they also have many calls to make.

GOTV efforts via phone calls are convenient for reminding, informing, and encouraging people to vote. Use the strategies above to optimize your efforts and achieve the results your campaign needs.

Related reading: 10 Last-minute GOTV Tips to Increase Voter Turnout for Political Campaigns (Scripts Included)

Coordinating GOTV phone banking with texts and email

A single phone call rarely produces a vote on its own. Pulsar’s GOTV guide recommends 3-5 GOTV touches per confirmed supporter across all channels in the final 10 days — and field research cited in CallHub’s GOTV strategies guide found GOTV outreach increases in impact up to 5 contacts per supporter and diminishes with 6 or more.

The channels are not interchangeable. Each does a different job.

The channel hierarchy for GOTV

Phone calls are the highest-impact individual channel. Nickerson’s (2005) research established the 3.8-4.5 percentage point turnout increase from volunteer phone banking — the same outcome has not been replicated at that level for any other single channel. Calls go to confirmed supporters. They are logistics conversations.

Texts are the most scalable channel. They are best used as plan-making prompts immediately after an unanswered call or as reminders in the 24-48 hours before election day. Analyst Institute research on plan-making texts found 0.9-1.4 percentage point turnout increases in midterm elections from texts that asked voters when and how they planned to vote — the same interactive logic as plan-making phone scripts.

Email is best used for coordination, not direct turnout. Yale ISPS field experiment data found that mass email produced no statistically significant positive effect on voter turnout across 13 field experiments. Use email to share polling location information, remind volunteers of shift schedules, and provide confirmed supporters with logistical resources — not as your primary GOTV channel.

The 3-5 touch sequence for the final 10 days

Here is how the channel mix works in practice across the final 10 days of a campaign:

Days 10-7: First phone call to all confirmed supporters. If no answer, send an automated text within 30 minutes: “Hi {Name}, I just tried calling from {Campaign name}. Polls open on {date} — reply with any questions about your polling place or voting plan.”

Days 6-4: Second phone call attempt at the same time window as the first. For confirmed supporters who answered the first call, this is a logistics reinforcement. For those who did not answer, this is attempt two.

Days 3-2: Send a plan-making text to all confirmed supporters who have not yet voted: “Hi {Name} — {election day} is {X days} away. When do you plan to vote? Reply with your plan and we’ll send you your polling place details.”

Day before election day: Final phone call or text to all confirmed supporters who have not confirmed they have voted. Keep it brief: “Polls open tomorrow at {time}. See you there!”

Election day: Call only confirmed supporters who have not yet voted. Use the shortened election day script. Stop all contact once a supporter confirms they have voted.

Remove already-voted contacts after every shift

One of the most wasteful GOTV phone banking errors is calling supporters who have already cast a ballot. It burns volunteer time, can frustrate supporters, and inflates your contact count with contacts that require no further outreach.

After every calling shift, sync your CRM with any available early vote or absentee return data and remove confirmed voters from all remaining GOTV call and text lists. In states where early vote data is publicly available in near-real-time, this sync should happen daily in the final week. In states where it is not, remove anyone who verbally confirmed they have voted during a call by setting the disposition in CallHub and excluding that contact from the next batch.

Last-minute GOTV phone banking: election day operations

Election day phone banking is a distinct operation from the 72-hour GOTV push. The calls are shorter, the list is tighter, and the only question that matters is whether a confirmed supporter has voted yet.

Election day call list

Your election day call list should contain only confirmed supporters who:

• Have not confirmed they have voted.
• Live in a precinct where polls are still open.
• Have answered at least one prior GOTV contact attempt (or have a reliable voter file history).

Do not add new names to this list on election day. Every call goes to someone you already know is with you — the goal is to convert an “intends to vote” into a confirmed vote.

For guidance on managing phone bank volunteers through the compressed election day schedule, including how to handle dropouts and reassign lists mid-session, the volunteer management guide covers the coordinator-level operations.

Election day script

Use the stripped-down script from Step 3. Three exchanges maximum:

1. Confirm the voter’s identity.
2. Remind them polls close at {time} and confirm they plan to vote today.
3. Offer directions to their polling place or a ride if needed.

If the voter confirms they have already voted, thank them and end the call. Set the disposition in CallHub to remove them from further election day outreach immediately.

If the voter says they cannot make it, do not argue. Note it, end the call, and move on. Volunteers running on hour three of an election day phone bank cannot spend four minutes per reluctant voter.

Operating hours

Per IAFF’s election day calling guidance, election day phone banks should begin around 10 am and run until polls close in the voter’s location. Do not open before 10 am — most voters are at work or in their morning routines, and early calls generate DNC requests, not votes.

Assign shifts in 90-minute blocks to keep volunteer energy up. A 10 am-11:30 am shift, a noon-1:30 pm shift, and a 3 pm-polls close shift covers the full day without exhausting your volunteers at the moment the campaign needs them most.

TCPA compliance on election day

The same TCPA calling hours that apply throughout the campaign apply on election day. If polls close at 8 pm in a given state, calls must stop at 8 pm — you cannot run a GOTV phone bank past poll close under the cover of urgency. CallHub’s timezone scheduling enforces this automatically.

Dos and don’ts for effective GOTV phone calls

Knowing which ideas to implement and which to avoid when making GOTV phone calls can make all the difference between a vote and a no vote.

Dos

1. Keep it brief: You are calling a constituent and taking up their time. Convey your message clearly and concisely. You do not want people to hang up before you finish the ask.
2. Train agents for every likely scenario: It may be a rude recipient or a child who picks up the phone. How a volunteer reacts in that scenario depends entirely on how you train them.
3. Have an FAQ list: An FAQ list answers questions that an agent is most likely to be asked. A handy FAQ list in your calling software will serve as a good pointer and help the campaign prepare the best answers for common questions in advance.
4. Be a good listener: Volunteers can gather valuable information on their GOTV phone calls if they listen closely. You may find out that a constituent intends to vote but is unsure how to register. You can help them if you are alert.
5. Have a follow-up strategy: Following up with constituents is a great way to remind them to get out and vote. You can schedule a mass text or a voice broadcast reminding them to vote.

Do not:

1. Be caught lacking information: As someone guiding voters and helping them get out to vote, you need to know as much as possible about the voting process in your target state.
2. Focus only on yourself: Allow the person on the other side to speak if they want to. Allowing space for people to talk may help you gain insights, address concerns, or register people they know.
3. Ask too many questions: There is a fine line between gathering information and seeming intrusive. Know the exact questions you need to ask and ensure they are important to the conversation.
4. Call someone who has already voted: Remove confirmed voters from your lists after every shift. Calling a supporter who has already cast a ballot wastes volunteer time and risks annoying someone who did exactly what you needed.

GOTV phone banking checklist

Before your next GOTV phone banking session, confirm these five:

1. Segment your list to confirmed supporters only — no undecided voters, no persuasion calls during GOTV.
2. Use a GOTV script with plan-making questions — ask when and how the voter plans to vote, not just whether they will.
3. Start calling on the right timeline — 4 weeks out in early/mail-vote states; 7-10 days out in poll-voter states; peak intensity in the final 72 hours.
4. Coordinate with a follow-up text sequence — send a plan-making text within 30 minutes of every unanswered GOTV call.
5. Remove already-voted contacts after every shift — sync your CRM and cut them from the next list before the next session opens.

CallHub’s predictive dialer, CRM sync, timezone scheduling, and real-time analytics help your campaign run all five of these from one platform. See how it works at callhub.io/platform/phone-banking/.

Frequently asked questions about GOTV phone calls

What are GOTV phone calls and why are they effective?

GOTV (Get Out the Vote) phone calls are campaign outreach efforts in which volunteers contact confirmed supporters by phone, reminding and helping them vote. Nickerson’s (2005) research established that these calls increase voter turnout by 3.8 to 4.5 percentage points, making them one of the most effective outreach methods in close elections.

How is GOTV phone banking different from regular phone banking?

Persuasion phone banking targets undecided voters with issue-focused scripts over longer calls (2-4 minutes). GOTV phone banking targets confirmed supporters with logistics-focused scripts under 90 seconds. The goal shifts from moving opinion to confirming a plan to vote. Using a persuasion script during GOTV — or calling undecided voters with a logistics-only script — wastes the final days of a campaign. Segment your list before any GOTV calling begins.

What should a GOTV phone banking script say?

A GOTV script should confirm the voter is a supporter, remind them of the election date and their polling place, and then ask plan-making questions: “What time do you plan to vote? How will you get there?” Per Analyst Institute research, plan-making questions outperform standard yes/no commitment asks. For election day, strip the script to three exchanges: confirm identity, confirm they are voting today, offer directions or a ride.

When should you start GOTV phone banking?

Start 4 weeks before election day in heavy early-vote and mail-vote states (Colorado, Nevada, Georgia, Oregon, Washington). Start 7-10 days before election day in poll-voter-majority states. Intensify calling in the final 72 hours before election day, calling every available evening until 9 pm. On election day, begin around 10 am and call until polls close.

How many GOTV calls should you make per voter?

Aim for 3-5 total GOTV touches per confirmed supporter across all channels (calls, texts, door knocks) in the final 10 days, per Pulsar’s GOTV guide. CallHub’s own GOTV research shows outreach impact increases up to 5 contacts and diminishes with 6 or more. Coordinate across channels so you are not making all 5 touches by phone — texts handle the lower-friction reminder touches while calls handle the logistics conversations.

Should you call someone who has already voted?

No. Remove confirmed voters from your GOTV call and text lists after every shift. Calling a supporter who has already voted wastes volunteer time and can frustrate someone who did exactly what you needed. Sync your CRM with early vote return data daily in the final week in states where that data is available.

What are the legal rules for GOTV phone calls?

GOTV callers must comply with TCPA calling hour restrictions (8 am-9 pm in the voter’s local time) even during the final 72-hour push and on election day itself. Federal and state FEC guidelines apply: include required disclaimers for express advocacy, respect Do Not Call lists, and follow state-specific hour restrictions (Texas, Indiana, and others apply tighter windows than federal minimums). For a full breakdown, read the political robocall laws guide.

How do autodialers improve GOTV phone banking campaigns?

Autodialers automate the dialing process, enabling volunteers to make significantly more calls per hour than manual dialing. The predictive dialer is best for high-volume GOTV calling in the 7-10 day window; the power dialer is better for the final 72 hours when logistics conversations need slightly more time. CallHub’s autodialer also filters out unanswered calls, voicemails, and machines so volunteers focus entirely on live conversations.

What is the best time to make GOTV phone calls?

The 6-7 pm window on weekdays consistently produces the highest answer rates across the CallHub best phonebanking times data study of 2.2 million calls. On election day specifically, start around 10 am and run through poll close — avoid early morning calls, which generate DNC requests rather than votes.

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.