Ballot Curing: Reach Voters Whose Ballots Need a Fix

Ballot curing means helping a voter fix a problem with a mail or absentee ballot so that it counts. Common problems are a missing signature or a signature that does not match the one on file. Election offices give voters a short time to fix these problems. Your campaign can help by contacting those voters fast.

In Vottiv, ballot curing takes four steps:

1. Create a tag.
2. Import the cure list into the tag.
3. Create a voter group that uses the tag as a filter.
4. Create a canvass, a text message, or a phone bank for the group.

You do these steps once. When a new cure list comes in, you import it into the same tag. Your group and canvass then follow the new list.

Before You Start: Get the Cure List

Get the list of voters with ballot problems from your Secretary of State, Registrar of Voters, or county elections office. Some offices call it a cure list, a challenged ballot list, or a rejected ballot report. Rules for who can get this list are different in each state.

Prepare the file:

• Save the file as a CSV. If you have an Excel file, use Save As and select CSV.
• Keep the voter ID column. A State Voter ID gives the most accurate matches.
• If the file has no voter ID, keep the name and address columns. Names alone can match the wrong person.
• Keep the column that tells why the ballot needs a fix, if the file has one. This helps your team know what to tell each voter.

Step 1: Create a Tag

1. Go to Tags & Notes.
2. Click Create Tag.
3. Enter a clear name. For example: Ballot Cure. You will use this one tag for the whole cure period, so do not put a date in the name.
4. Click Create Tag again to save.

Step 2: Import the Cure List into the Tag

1. Click the tag you just created.
2. In the top right corner, click Import.
3. Select your CSV file.
4. Click Start Upload.
5. Match each Vottiv field to the column in your file that holds that information. Match the voter ID first if your file has one.
6. Click Confirm and Match.

Vottiv matches each row in your file to a voter in your voter file. Matched voters are added to the tag. The match runs in the background, so you can leave the page while it finishes.

When the import is done, check the results. If many rows did not match, look at your file. A missing or wrong voter ID column is the most common cause.

For more detail on imports, see Importing Data as a Custom Tag.

Step 3: Create a Voter Group from the Tag

1. Go to Voter Groups.
2. Click Create Voter Group.
3. In the Group Builder, select the Tags filter.
4. Select your ballot cure tag.
5. Check the live voter count. It should be close to the number of matched voters from your import.
6. Click Create Voter Group and give the group a name. For example: Ballot Cure.

Do not add other filters unless you need them. Every voter on the cure list needs help, whatever their party or voting history.

To learn more about the Tags filter, see Using Filters in the Group Builder.

Step 4: Contact the Voters

Open your new group. Then pick one or more ways to reach the voters. Cure deadlines are short, so many campaigns use more than one.

Knock on Doors

1. In the group, open Canvassing.
2. Click Create Canvass and follow the steps.
3. Share the canvass code with your canvassers.

A door visit works well when a voter must sign a form. Your canvasser can explain the form and how to return it.

Send a Text Message

1. In the group, open SMS/MMS Messaging. You can also go to SMS, click Send New Message, and select the group.
2. Click Create SMS.
3. Write your message, review it, and send.

Your account must be approved for texting first. See Getting Started with Texting in Vottiv.

Make Phone Calls

1. In the group, open Phone Calls.
2. Click Prepare Phone Call.
3. Add a call title and a call script, then set up the phone bank.

For the full setup, see Setting Up and Using the Power Dialer.

What to Tell Voters

Keep your message short and helpful. Tell the voter:

• That their ballot needs a fix before it can count.
• What the problem is, if you know it. For example, a missing signature.
• How to fix it. For example, sign and return a cure form.
• The deadline to fix it.
• Where to get help, such as the county elections office phone number.

Cure rules and deadlines are different in each state. Check the rules with your state or county elections office before you contact voters.

Example text:

Hi {first name}, this is [Name] with [Campaign]. The county shows your mail ballot needs a signature before it can count. You have until [date] to fix it. Can we help? Reply STOP to opt out.

When You Get an Updated List

Election offices often send new cure lists every day or every few days. Voters who fixed their ballot drop off the list, and new voters appear on it. You do not need a new tag, group, or canvass. Import the new list into the same tag and replace the old one:

1. Go to Tags & Notes and click your ballot cure tag.
2. Click Import, select the new CSV file, and click Start Upload.
3. Match the fields as you did before.
4. Check Replace voters in this tag.
5. Click Confirm and Match.

When the import finishes:

• The tag holds only the voters from the new list. Voters who are not on the new list leave the tag.
• Your voter group follows the tag. Voters who left the tag also leave the group.
• Canvasses that use the group refresh their routes. Canvassers see the new list after the refresh, which can take a few minutes.

Important: Replace also removes voters that your team added to the tag by hand or from a survey. If you want to keep track of voters you already helped, use a survey answer instead of the cure tag.

Texts and phone banks work differently:

• A text goes out one time. To text the voters on the new list, create a new text for the group.
• A phone bank keeps the voter list it had when you prepared it. To call the voters on the new list, prepare a new phone call for the group.

While the import runs, the tag can be empty or partly filled for a short time. Wait until the import finishes before you start new texts or phone calls.

Tips

• Start outreach the same day you get the list. Every day counts.
• Use a survey in your canvass or phone bank to record whether each voter fixed their ballot.
• Use a voter ID column in every import. It gives the most accurate matches.
• Always import the full current list when you replace. Replace keeps only the voters in the file you upload.