Here is a possible answer and comments. I ran across this today and think it might be a good read for all interested:
Disastorino
Elections are the only place where marketers try to get fewer people to buy whatâs being sold.
In many elections in the US, fewer than half the population votes. Which means, of course, that in most elections, not only doesnât the winner get a majority, the winner wasnât even chosen by a majority of the majority. We make it worse with gerrymandering and arcane vote counting.
It turns out that depressing voter turnout is a shortcut for the selfish political marketer. Itâs easier to get your opponentâs supporters to become disgusted enough to stay home than it is to actually encourage people to proactively vote for you.
When non-electoral marketers try to learn from political examples, we get confused by all of this. The fact that itâs a one-shot event, that a bare majority is the goal (most marketing doesnât have to win a majority, it merely needs to matter to enough people) and that decreasing turnout is a valid strategy all add up to make politics a special case.
Blue Bottle Coffee doesnât succeed against Starbucks by getting people to not drink coffee at all. Nor do they need to sell more than half the coffee sold. All that a non-political marketer needs to do is find enough raving fans. If politicians learned this lesson, I think weâd all be better off.
Itâs not an accident weâre disgusted. Politicians spend billions of marketing dollars to create the belief that voting is something thatâs better to avoid.
They teach us that itâs not a responsibility we want to take.
They make it feel like a hassle.
They donât invest in making it a chance to build community and connection.
In short, itâs more like giving blood and less like going to a Super Bowl party.
Too often the incumbents are liked by a minority, respected by an even smaller group and particularly bad at the job. And if many of the registered voters turned out, each would lose in a heartbeat.
The solution is simple, fast and cheap. Show up and vote. Every time.
Once politicians realize that weâre immune to their cynical tricks, theyâll stop using them.
Show up and vote. Itâll make a difference.