MEMO: PA 2024 Mail in voting
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Dee Duncan, President, RSLC
Jessica Anderson, President, SAF
Brendon DelToro, Chief Strategist, Keystone Renewal PAC
DATE: January 30, 2024
RE: Pennsylvania Mail-in Ballot Program
Introduction
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), Keystone Renewal PAC, and The Sentinel Action Fund (SAF) are proud to announce the largest Republican statewide mail-in-ballot initiative in Commonwealth history. This historic eight-figure investment will put Republicans in a strong position to challenge the Democrats’ vote-by-mail advantage this year and future election cycles. Our strategic investment will begin earlier than ever before, engaging voters and the grassroots from every corner of the Commonwealth upwards of 20 times over the course of the cycle through mail, digital ads, texting, phone calls, and door-to-door efforts. Significant voter contact will begin before the primary election and run through Election Day.
With razor-thin margins of victory across down-ballot races in the Commonwealth in 2020 and 2022, it is critical for Republicans to fight for every vote in 2024. Republicans must expand our voter base by targeting low-propensity voters and persuadable swing voters, while simultaneously ensuring our core Republican voters cast a vote through all available means. The goal of this program is to expand Republicans’ voter base through absentee and mail-in ballots, and to enter Election Day in a strong position to win Pennsylvania.
Data Driven Targeting
The insights RSLC and SAF gained from work done in the 2023 election cycle underscore the pivotal role of accurate and impactful data in ensuring success. The linchpin of our success lies in the continuous refinement of data and modeling. RSLC already hosted multiple focus groups throughout the Commonwealth and are currently in the field with a statewide modeling project to lay the foundation for our long-term Pennsylvania success. We will continue to host focus groups during the 2024 election cycle and will be refreshing our modeling regularly with the first refresh scheduled to commence immediately following the April primary election.
Furthermore, we recognize the importance of local nuances. To tailor our outreach effectively, we will couple grassroots knowledge with focus group learnings in key areas of the Commonwealth. We will then layer in these insights with our predictive models, as we aim to connect with and inspire voters who share similar views, fostering a resonance that goes beyond the conventional campaign strategy.
Pre-Primary Engagement
The collaborative efforts of the RSLC, Keystone Renewal, SAF, and our partners across the Commonwealth are geared towards proactive voter engagement leading up to the April 23rd primary election. Our objective throughout the primary election is to maximize the conversion of Republican voters, urging them to sign up for the permanent mail-in-ballot list. We will also continue to push existing permanent list voters to renew their status. This strategic initiative not only serves to bolster our permanent list but also presents an opportunity to initiate the conversion of low-propensity and mail-in-ballot amenable voters well in advance of the general election.
The significance of converting voters during the primary extends beyond immediate gains for Republican primary candidates. It positions us for a stronger foothold in the general election, alleviating operational challenges. Commencing our efforts earlier than ever before will also allow us to reallocate resources towards reaching more voters by expanding our outreach to other voter demographics during the general election phase. In essence, this proactive approach sets the stage for a more efficient and impactful electoral strategy, ensuring a formidable presence in both the primary and general elections.
General Election Engagement
The program's primary objective is to strategically allocate resources post-primary heading into the general election. By proactively and consistently investing earlier and more frequently we aim to ensure Republicans' recent hesitancy to vote by mail-in-ballot is not a barrier to electoral success. This strategic approach extends to engaging persuadable and low-propensity Republican voters, providing them ample opportunities to request a ballot by utilizing mail, digital advertising, P2P, and a robust door-to-door field program.
Employing custom voter modeling and insightful focus groups, our strategy involves micro-targeting voters across the entire Commonwealth. This includes precision targeting in legislative and congressional districts, where tailored persuasion outreach will be crafted to significantly enhance the likelihood of two key actions: pushing low-propensity voters to vote through all available means and increasing the Republican share of the overall vote-by-mail vote total. Our comprehensive approach ensures that we not only reach voters in every corner of the Commonwealth, but we also resonate with them on a personal level by talking about the issues that matter most to them and their families.
