Building Trust in Elections Through an Innovative Voter Outreach Program

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Maricopa County, the 2nd largest voting jurisdiction in the country and one of the fastest growing, serves 4.4 million residents and 2.5 million active voters. The Maricopa County Elections Department (the Department) launched a Voter Outreach Program (the Program) in 2022 to improve voter education, bolster stakeholder relationships, provide recruitment opportunities and build trust and transparency in the elections. The Program was designed to combat the persistent false narrative about election fraud occurring in voting processes and within Maricopa County. The dedicated team in the Program provides residents with easy access to election information through in-person and virtual events, newsletters, questions and answer sessions, and online content. In 2022 we conducted 70 in-person events and tours of Tabulation and Elections Center spending over 140 hours educating voters from across the political spectrum. We hosted 23 virtual presentations so residents could participate remotely and/or watch the event later at a time that was convenient for their schedule. The Program also launched a monthly Just the Facts Newsletter and grew readership from a few thousand voters to tens of thousands within a few months. The Program served thousands of voters and was designed, on a limited budget which is easily replicated.