GR Votes
In 2018, Michigan’s laws changed to increase accessibility for voters. Unfortunately, in many areas, these changes went mostly unnoticed.
In working with the Grand Rapids’ City Clerk’s office, Well created a visual language and strategy to educate the public about these critical changes to the voting process and develop tools that the city could use to energize all voters. This campaign’s goal was not only to educate but also to make voting exciting and empowering for all community members.
Cutting Through the Jargon
The legal jargon of new voting laws gets very technical very fast. Legally, this leaves little room for confusion and loopholes, but it reads as both intimidating and confusing for the layperson. Our main challenge was to craft these messages in approachable ways.
By utilizing new media like Facebook and Instagram, we could break large chunks of information into digestible posts. Within those posts, we were able to break down the information into smaller thought-paths. This process helped mitigate the feeling of being overwhelmed by information for users.
Absentee Voting and New Media
In Michigan, the idea of absentee voting still feels new. We wanted to make sure that those who took extra pride in their vote were still able to celebrate beyond the classic “I Voted” sticker.
Digital multi-language “I Voted” stickers ensured that all Grand Rapids communities had the chance to voice their vote proudly. These stickers were made available on the city’s website and for use on Instagram and Facebook stories. QR codes on the drop boxes linked to live filters where people could share their voting selfie, and encourage others to vote as well.
