Social Media Strategic for Election Management Bodies: A Tactical Guide to Expanding Voter Outreach This paper provides tactical guidance to election management bodies (EMBs) on leveraging social media to expand voter education and outreach. The primary audience for this guide consists of communications and public relations staff of EMBs with a baseline knowledge of social media who are looking to strengthen voters’ confidence in the safety and integrity of voting processes. While this guide is directed toward election administrators, other audiences may also find the strategies relevant to their work. This paper outlines specific tactics and strategies for reaching audiences on four leading social media platforms and communications services – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube1 – as well as reflections on the use of messaging applications to enhance EMB communications and additional platform-agnostic guidance applicable in any social media environment. Despite the decision to limit coverage to these particular services, the tactics described can easily be applied to other social media services that may be popular in certain regions or among specific demographic groups. This guide includes individual tip sheets for each of the major platforms; guidance on tools and tactics that function in similar ways across multiple platforms; actionable guidance on the characteristics of engaging content that apply in any social media setting; recommendations for planning and carrying out live video events; strategies and guidelines for partnering with other social media accounts to amplify audience reach; and strategies for effective social media communication specific to elections held while COVID-19 remains a threat to public health.
