November Get Out the Vote Efforts Build on June Primary's Successes
This month we launched our Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts for the November 3rd General Election. This effort builds on the strong momentum created by our June Primary GOTV initiatives -- which we believe contributed to this year's increase in voter registration and turnout for the Primary! Contra Costa County achieved 44.8% voter turnout during the 2026 Primary election, in contrast to 37.9% in 2024 and 35.1% in 2022. More than 327,000 ballots were cast in the Primary, and the county had approximately 21,000 more registered voters than in the 2024 Primary.
Our Primary GOTV efforts focused on making voting information more accessible to Contra Costa County voters. Our Voter Services team brought voter registration and education to the community through tabling at Los Medanos College and Diablo Valley College, events at St. Mary's College and Antioch High School, weekly appearances at local food banks, and support at other community gatherings. We connected with young and first-time voters, answered questions about the June Primary, and helped young people register to vote and find reliable election information. Voter Services facilitated candidate forums for Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools and Superior Court Judge, and the League used its Community Conversations series to help voters understand critical changes and developments affecting the elections landscape in 2026.
We created a Primary Election Webpage to serve as a central hub for election dates, and critical voting information and resources. Voter Services developed an Impartial Resources Guide for election and ballot information to address the commonly asked question of a How do I know who to vote for? We rolled out our Voting is Easy - Tell Your Friends! GOTV campaign through social media, posters and postcards (in English and Spanish, and cobranded with partner organizations), and slides aired by Contra Costa TV. VOTE411 remained an important resource throughout the Primaries, giving voters access to personalized candidate and ballot information. Leading up to June 2nd, the League's social media accounts featured election reminders, countdowns, action alerts, voter information, and event promotion.
To further connect with young voters, Voter Services and Communications collaborated to produce a series of Why I Vote videos for social media, which included interviews with college students and young community members. The project provided a personal, youth-focused approach to GOTV and encouraged audiences to reflect on their own reasons for voting. We also hosted a postcard-writing party to encourage young registered voters to make a plan to vote!
The League kicked off its November General Election GOTV efforts with the National Unite & Rise for Voting Rights Day of Action event on August 9th, which we cohosted with two leading Black women's organizations: the National Council of Negro Women, Alameda Section, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Omega Upsilon Omega Chapter. The event brought together more than 125 attendees and community partners; it showcased the
energy and momentum already building around the election and provided an energetic starting point for the League's upcoming outreach.
As November 3rd approaches, LWVDV will continue to make voting easier by providing easy-to-access voter information through our November 3rd election webpage and GOTV campaigns. We are scheduling voter education events including candidate forums and Pros & Cons presentations. The Community Conversations series will provide opportunities to discuss the issues affecting voters, featuring topics such as How Much Power Should the President Have? The League will continue working with partner organizations on projects that aim to make voting more accessible across communities, including creation of short How-To videos explaining elements of the voting process in English and Spanish.
Join us in this effort! You can support our GOTV efforts simply by sharing League information, liking and sharing the League's posts on social media, and sending nonpartisan voting resources to friends, family, and neighbors. Every League member can help extend our reach by talking about the League's voter education work within their own communities. Have more time? Volunteer at voter registration events, postcard parties, candidate forums, community conversations, and other GOTV activities!
Kamryn Young, LWVDV Communications and Youth Engagement Fellow
