GOTV Mode: What Your Website Should Say in the Last Two Weeks
For most of the race your website's job is introducing and persuading. In the last two weeks the job flips to a single question: making sure everyone who already supports you actually votes. The site should visibly change to match.
The GOTV switch list
- Hero swap: "Vote [name] on [date]" with early voting dates, election day hours, and a polling place lookup link for your county
- A vote plan block: when are you voting, where, how are you getting there. Concrete beats inspirational in the final week.
- Absentee and early details: deadlines with actual dates, not "check with your county"
- Volunteer ask upgrade: from generic signup to specific shifts: canvassing Saturday, polls Tuesday
- The final newsroom post: your closing message, so late deciders searching your name find your framing
Why this matters more down-ballot
In local races the margin is often a few hundred votes, and the voters you lose are not persuaded away, they simply do not make it to the polls. A website that answers where do I vote at 7am on election day, with your name on the page, converts intention into a counted ballot. Almost no local campaign does this, which is the point.
Make the switch effortless
On Ballot Page the whole switch is a conversation: tell the editor your polling details and ask for GOTV mode, and change it back Wednesday. If your site requires a web person to make this change, schedule them now; the last two weeks are when web people are hardest to reach.
Common questions
What should a campaign website emphasize before election day?
Logistics over persuasion: where to vote, when, early voting dates and locations, absentee deadlines, and what to bring. The persuadable window has mostly closed; the findable-information window is wide open.
Should the homepage change for GOTV?
Yes. The hero should answer "how do I vote" with your name attached, typically a prominent vote-plan module above the normal content. Change it back after election day.
What is a vote plan?
The specific when, where, and how a supporter will vote. Sites and volunteers that prompt people to name a plan measurably raise turnout compared to generic reminders.