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What Voters told us about Voting in 2024 [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-13

The question i get asked most since the election is what are we going to do now. Isn’t it obvious? After January 20th, we have to fight to reclaim our democracy from the criminal organization that president felon has turned it into.

The second most frequently asked question is this: how did we get here? There are a number of appropriate responses to this, starting with what Hope Springs from Field PAC [dated website] volunteers have learned from voters since the election. So let’s start there.

So 2024 didn’t go as expected. Right?

Hope Springs from Field had a number (that number 3,106) of volunteers who weren’t exactly happy — and mostly surprised — about the 2024 election results and wondered why. Many reached out almost immediately — can’t we find out who voted and why?

This led to a largely self-organized effort on the part of volunteers in 10 states to contact voters who told us they were voting for Harris to see if a.) they did actually vote (according to the voter; matching them to the voter file is being done separately), b.) if they actually cast a vote and c.) b.) if they actually cast their presidential vote for Kamala Harris.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is how few of the 19,465 voters said they cast a vote for the winner. Misrepresenting one’s vote and saying they cast it for the winner is a common challenge in this kind of research. But in our case, only 5 voters said they cast it for the winner. Those 5 voters were in either Pennsylvania or Michigan.

We’ve talked to 19,465 voters who told us (at their doors) they would vote for Harris (so far -- this is an ongoing winter project for Hope Springs volunteers "who were upset with the election results”). Of those 19,465 voters, 10,217 reported they did so (although the voter file verifies only 6,957 did -- we don't have all the data back from elections administrators in all states, so this number will increase).

We have only been contacting voters who told HSFF volunteers they would vote for Harris -- no effort has been made to contact those who said they would vote for Biden.

Of the 9,248 who did not vote (self-reported) for Harris (but had previously told us they would), 7,896 simply did not vote. The most common reason given is they believed the election didn’t matter. Harris did not need her vote. Of these, 3,891 voters received a absentee ballot but failed to return it (again, self-reported).

1,352 voters told us they went to vote but did not cast a vote for Harris. A handful voted for someone else (including the 5 voters who said they voted for the felon). But most said they left it blank. Of these, the most common reason given was basically indecisiveness. Some of these pointed to questions raised in their minds right before they went to vote.

Hope Springs from Field PAC begins knocking on doors again on March 1st. We target Democrats and unaffiliated voters with a systematic approach that reminds them not only that Democrats care, but Democrats are determined to deliver the best government possible to all Americans. The voters we talk to continue to tell us they come away more invested in governance and feel more favorably towards Democrats in general because of our approach.

Obviously, we rely on grassroots support, so if you support field/grassroots organizing, voter registration (and follow-up) and our efforts to protect our voters, we would certainly appreciate your support:

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/1/13/2295171/-What-Voters-told-us-about-Voting-in-2024

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