REV UP Utah

The Challenge

Utah’s history of voter turnout has been in decline since the Bicentennial in 1976, when we peaked with a 70% turnout. We sadly ranked 39th place for voter turnout at the last election. That’s over 30 years of declining attendance. And 62% of unregistered voters hadn’t even been asked to vote.

Over time, Utahns that had registered had become convinced their vote wouldn’t make a difference in the outcome of the election. Utah wasn’t a battleground state. We had to find a way to stir people out of some pretty heavy anti-momentum. The voters needed a reason to rally.

Our Solution

We poured over research about the psychology of voting, looking for a motivator that led to a change in behavior. We decided to combine two insights: 1. Societal pressure activates voters. 2. The act of voting is an expression of who I am as an individual.

Rev Up Utah enlisted a truly diverse cast of patriotic characters, from a crying bald eagle, to an exploding apple pie, a disappointed Abraham Lincoln and a bison-riding cowboy, all warning people not to let Utah down by failing to vote.

The campaign rolled out with a three-phase content plan, asking Uthans to register, get educated and vote.

The Results

Registered voter turnout jumped from 58% to 75.55%, surpassing the 1976 peak. There was a 29.3% increase in registered voter turnout compared to the 2014 midterm elections and a 21.67% increase in turnout across all eligible voters.