Email Campaigns Made Simple

No. Voter file emails are not opt-in and sending to them is a violation of Mail Chimp, Gmail, Constant Contact, Vertical Response and most email sending platforms terms of service.  A good example to understand this is to read here what Mail Chimp says about using non opt-in emails..

Some people have done it successfully for small batches of emails. For example Gmail does not seem to complain if you occassionally send under 50 emails to non-opt-in email addresses.

However, many times it does not work at all. What happens when it does not work is:

• Your email will not get delivered to voters and end up nowhere.
• Your email will end up in junk or voters spam folders.
• You will likely end up on a spammer list. You will not even be able to send routine email from your email address.

When you use Voter.Vote, your emails will actually be delivered to likely voters in your race. 

Did you know that Gmail has a daily limit on the number of emails you can send? If you’re a regular user, you may find that the limit of 100 emails per day can be quite restrictive, particularly if you need to send out multiple messages for work or personal reasons. It’s always a good idea to keep this limitation in mind as you plan your communications, so you don’t run into any issues with sending any messages. Ultimately, the important thing is to work within the constraints of your email provider and find ways to communicate effectively and efficiently.

While it may seem simple to send emails directly from your domain, there are technical and strategic reasons why this approach often doesn’t work as expected. Here’s why:

1. Email Deliverability Challenges

• Spam Filters: Sending bulk emails without proper setup can trigger spam filters, leading to low inbox placement or emails being blocked altogether.
• Reputation Damage: Sending high volumes of emails without the proper protocols can damage your domain’s reputation, affecting not just your campaign emails but also your regular business communications.

2. Lack of Proper Infrastructure

• Email Sending Limits: Most email providers (like Gmail or Outlook) have daily limits for sending emails. These limits are insufficient for voter outreach campaigns that require bulk messaging.
• Missing Authentication: Bulk emailing requires proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC records) to prove to email servers that you’re a legitimate sender. Without this, your emails are more likely to be flagged as spam.

3. Compliance and Legal Issues

• CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR: Sending emails without proper opt-out mechanisms or tracking can violate laws, leading to fines or penalties. Email platforms handle compliance automatically, but direct sending requires you to manage it manually.

4. Lack of Analytics and Tracking

• No Insight: When you send emails directly from your domain, you won’t have access to metrics like open rates, click-through rates, or bounce rates. This makes it harder to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign.

5. Scalable Tools Are More Effective

• Email marketing platforms are designed for bulk outreach and provide:
  • High deliverability rates.
  • Compliance with spam laws.
  • Detailed analytics.
  • Easy-to-use templates for voter engagement.

You can get the list of voters with email addresses from voter.vote. It comes with your data license.  However, you will need to clean (scrub it) and figure out how to send it so that it gets delivered.

1. We work with you to update DNS information associated with your campaign domain name, so that email companies know that we are a real company, not a spammer
   1. No need to learn about DNS records, Domain keys, DKIM, SPF records, etc.
2. We augment the voter file for those who did not list their email addresses.
3. We add alternative email addresses and additional email addresses to voters in the voter file
4. We work with email “rendering” companies who know how to work with political campaigns
5. We  “clean” from the voter file of the following:
   1. Domains that do not exist anymore
   2. Domains that do not take emails
   3. Domains that take emails but do not have the given email address listed
   4. Email addresses of those who have frequently unsubscribe to emails
   5. Email addresses of those who have frequently unsubscribed to political emails (we have a large proprietary database)
   6. Email addresses of those who have frequently mark email as SPAM
   7. Email addresses of those who have frequently mark political emails as SPAM  (we also have a large proprietary database)
6. Link email addresses to our demographic database for that person
7. Keep track of folks who have opened your email
8. Keep track of folks who have clicked to your website

Removing the following:

• Emails for domains that do not exist
• Removing emails for those that mark emails as spam
• Removing emails for those that unsubscribe
• Removing emails that are for legitimate domains but not working email addresses
  • Removing emails for services that do not accept emails either permanently or temporarily.

By using third party databases, we find as many emails for a person as we can. Then we “cull” those emails for those that are not usable and only send messages to those email address that are the most current.

This is a free part of our email service.

No, because we remove daily those people who have voted already from any subsequent emailings – as well as Facebook and Instagram advertising, texting, online display advertising and expensive direct mail campaign, thus saving you money

We also remove folks that have moved or passed away before you spend money reaching them.

We understand that when it comes to email marketing, it’s important to get your messaging and targeting just right. That’s why we offer you a choice: you can create your own email blast, or we can do it for you. Of course, we always recommend that you create your own email blast, because no one knows your company’s unique voice and brand identity better than you or your consultant. However, we also understand that you may be short on time or resources. That’s where we come in! We provide you with a handy template to fill out, and then we take care of the rest at a low cost per email blast. Our goal is to make sure that you reach your target audience with a message that’s tailored specifically to their needs, while keeping your costs low and your results high.

We have an algorithm on when (not time of day only but based on when they likely will vote) to send out emails based our a proprietary algorithm that takes into account when the voter has voted in the past, what type of election this is (primary, general or special), historical factors in their precinct, their demographics, etc.

Direct mail marketing campaigns can often be quite costly. For example, sending out physical mail to prospective voters can cost over $1.25 for each piece sent. However, utilizing email marketing strategies can be not only cost-effective but also highly efficient. By utilizing targeted email lists, campaigns can reach voters immediately and in a more personalized way than through traditional mail. Additionally, email marketing allows for more flexibility and creativity in design and messaging compared to direct mail. Moreover, emails have a greater chance of being read and acted upon compared to physical mail that often ends up in the trash without even being opened. Overall, campaigns can benefit greatly by considering email marketing as a viable and cost-effective option to reach their target audience.

See our pricing page

• Email set up fee covers email setup and money saving “proprietary list of voters who will vote (and when) in your election.”
• Per template fee
• You pay us cost of email advertising.

We use third-party databases to find voter email addresses (email append) who have not listed their email addresses at the Register of Voters (as well as update old non-working email addresses). Only a minority of voters have their most current email addresses in the voter file. We find email addresses first for those who do not even list an email addresses.

This is a free service we offer those using our email advertising services.

Let’s say you are running in a school board race. Here are some things we can do for you in an email campaign:

• You might want to give those with kids in schools a different message than those without kids in school.
• You might want to give women voters a list of women endorsers
• You might want to give a certain ethnic groups a message in their own language or with endorsers from those ethnic groups or messages that support their concerns

Targeted emails are more likely to be remembered and more effective.

Almost any targeting! This includes:

1. Truly likely voters
2. Voters who our AI algorithm indicate will vote in the next few days
3. By age
4. By gender
5. By birthplace
6. By political party (actual or likely)
7. By homeownership, by rental by mobile home
8. Many more types of targeting

Certainly! We, as a competent and efficient team, take pride in assisting you with your needs, specifically in creating an “inside baseball” or fundraising email list. We assure you that our support and guidance will result in a comprehensive and tailored email list that will cater to your requirements and help you achieve your desired outcomes. Our understanding of the importance of communication and outreach in today’s world drives us to ensure that you receive the most valuable and efficient services. With our expertise, you can rely on us to provide you with a unique and exceptional approach in creating the email list that suits your specific needs.

We ensure that we constantly add newly registered voters who have joined since the inception of our campaign, making sure that we reach out to them and keep them informed. Similarly, we also work equally hard to keep our database clean and tidy by promptly removing individuals who have moved or passed away and, therefore, can no longer participate in the voting process. We understand the importance of having an up-to-date and accurate database to ensure that we reach the right people and achieve our campaign goals effectively. Therefore, we take our responsibility seriously to provide a reliable platform for our supporters, so they can confidently put their trust in the integrity of our team.

We can use third-party databases to find voter email addresses (email append) who have not listed their email addresses at the Register of Voters (as well as update old non-working email addresses). Only a minority of voters have their most current email addresses in the voter file. We find email addresses first for those who do not even list an email addresses and then we find current email addresses – all for a small per email fee.