Jaylen, a 19-year-old Black package handler, thought he would be more interested in politics if there were “ways for people to not just listen to what you hear on the news, but also like try to have conversation, a chance to get to know who you’re voting for.” He wants politicians to “have a little bit more community outreach [...]. So that we can know, ok, do we want to actually vote for this person or vote for somebody else.”

Deborah, a 62-year-old Black woman who was unemployed when we spoke with her, said she would like to see a politician: “come to my house and talk to me. He might not be able to get to everybody, but maybe in the community center, come within the neighborhood or something. A lot of politicians don’t come to the neighborhood. Tell us your views and let us speak to your views.”

What research shows:

We know a lot about how to increase political participation, and the key is contact and connection.

• People who belong to groups that mobilize them – like churches or unions – are much more likely to vote. ⁹
• Absent that kind of organic organization, the most effective way to increase the likelihood that someone will vote is to ask them to do so, ideally in person. ¹⁰
• When low-income people and people of color are asked to vote by an organization they know ¹¹ or a neighbor they connect with, they are much more likely to vote. ¹²
• However, lower-income people are less likely to be contacted by campaigns ¹³ and less responsive to standard canvassing efforts when they are contacted. ¹⁴

For some of our respondents, simply having someone take the time to ask them to vote would probably bring them to the polls – especially if that ask comes from someone from their neighborhood or community. But many people we spoke with also see one-off efforts to mobilize them as instrumental and insincere. For these people, longer-term investments in building trust will be necessary.

More consistent outreach efforts and events – including real listening and engagement – in lower-income communities would show that people in politics are interested in their concerns. These might include yearround, long-term organizing efforts, small-scale town halls, community service efforts, and other initiatives for building connections beyond one-off visits from volunteers or paid canvassers in the weeks before each election.