LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Millions of Nevadans have received “Voting Report Cards” this election season, and FOX5 decided to look into the motive for the message.
The Center for Voter Participation has mailed out 3.1 million “Voting Report Cards,” “Great Citizen” Participation Awards, and other mail to remind people to vote.
Report cards may give you grades such as “Above Average” or “Below Average” and show your “voting record” for the 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2026 election.
The mail comes as candidates ramp up their political campaigns and flood inboxes across the battleground state.
Las Vegas local Michele said her report card came as quite the surprise.
“I open it up and see this voter report card saying I’m below average. So at first, I think I was stunned by that. And then I was actually alarmed, because I have never gone into the records to see my actual record. So I accessed the Secretary of State’s website. And sure enough, all my votes are there. Then I felt angry, because where are they getting this information from?” she said.
Michele emailed the center, which responded to her and FOX5: data comes from publicly available state voter files and vendor lists. Data may not be accurate when people move or move states, the Center tells FOX5.
FOX5 gathered different “voting report cards” from other Las Vegas locals.
MORE ON FOX5: Confrontation at early voting center raises questions about voter intimidation, freedom of speech
Why send out a report card?
“The letters we use to help encourage people to get out and vote use something called social pressure. It is a psychological marketing tactic that helps to increase voter turnout, and we have various types of social pressure. Sometimes we send out a good citizen award to folks who vote every cycle. Sometimes we’ll send out a comparison where we look at people’s voting record, how often do they vote, compared to that of other people in their neighborhood or in their state, and it’s used to encourage turnout,” said Tom Lopach of the Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information.
FOX5 asked if the voting report card was meant to give non-consistent voters a feeling of guilt to drive them to the polls.
“So many of us grew up with mothers who knew how to use guilt. And guilt is actually a tactic that works,” Lopach said. “At the end of the day, our interest is not in making people feel guilty. Our interest is increasing voter participation, especially for people of color, young people, and unmarried women. Our country is better when our elections are inclusive and representative of everybody who lives in our country. And in fact, governing is better when our governments fully represent all Americans,” he said.
Does “guilt” make people vote?
“Sure. Guilt can absolutely work to make people vote. But the trick is, do you feel guilty if an organization you’ve never heard of calls you out for not voting?” said UNLV Assistant Professor Kenneth Miller, who studies political campaigns. Research on “social pressure” has now been adopted by campaigns, interest groups and voter groups.
Lawn signs are one form of “social pressure,” he said.
“Whether or not you voted is public. But it’s important to remember that who you voted for is not public,” Miller said.
More information on these Voter Report Cards and opt-out options are here: The Voter Participation Center – Supporting American Voters
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