As the Chair of the Michigan Republican Party in 2016, I know a thing or two about close elections and every vote making a difference.
Four years ago, it was fewer than 11,000 votes that separated President Trump from Hillary Clinton in Michigan. Without a doubt the campaign infrastructure we assembled and the resources we deployed were indispensable in helping this president become the first Republican to carry Michigan in nearly 30 years.
A strong get-out-the-vote operation was important then, and it has never been more than it is right now.
With close races shaping-up around the country and early voting already underway in some states, we at the Republican National Committee are ramping up our efforts to make every voter count by ensuring every American has the information and resources they need to vote.
That’s why on this National Voter Registration Day, the RNC is rolling out an expanded Vote.gop to help us expand voter access and turn out as many voters as possible.
Simply stated, Vote.gop is an online portal designed to help voters access their information and make a plan to vote. There Americans can register to vote, check on their voter status, update their address, find their polling location, and take other voting actions.
As of today, that also means a version of the website entirely in Spanish.
Given the changes in how many Americans will cast their ballots this time around, our website also takes into account the increased emphasis on voting absentee in 2020. Vote.gop allows voters to have absentee ballot materials sent directly to them through the mail, with a postage-paid return envelope included to submit the ballot to the local elections office.
The Spanish version of Vote.gop we are unveiling today includes all the same options for voter access, and is just one component of our Hispanic outreach efforts this election.
With poll after poll showing support for President Trump surging among Hispanic-Americans, having a one-stop shop on voter information in Spanish will be indispensable to helping translate the enthusiasm that exists for this president in the Hispanic community into votes.
Other updates and upgrades to Vote.gop include more streamlined technology that gives voters customized options based on where they live.
For example, a voter in Minnesota will see options on Early Voting that voters in Wisconsin would not yet see because Early Voting has not yet begun in that state.
What we have created differs from what the Democrats have done in that everything about our voting website is designed to be action-oriented.
The tailored options and real-time updates Vote.gop provides gives voters not only information on voting, but also helps them to take an action at that moment.
On the other hand, the Democrats’ version, IWillVote.com, is designed so that voters are inundated with information, but not necessarily on which action to take at the right time.
The expanded Vote.gop platform we are rolling out today complements the work we have been doing over the past four years to convert the new base of support President Trump has created in our Party into the ranks of registered Republican voters.
Our Trump Victory volunteer team has now registered over 140,000 new voters and counting this cycle. By comparison we registered 46,000 voters in all of 2016, meaning we have more than tripled our voter registrations this cycle compared to last.
Perhaps most importantly, we are outpacing Democrats when it comes to registering new voters in the battleground states that will decide this election, including in Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina.
This is significant because a successful voter registration push doesn’t happen overnight.
It takes time and money, and with the deadline to register to vote fast approaching many states, our years-long emphasis on finding new voters and getting them registered will be an enormous advantage for us come Election Day.
This is the most important election of our lifetime. Because the stakes are so high, it has never been more important for voters to have the information they need to vote, whether by Absentee, Early Voting, or voting on Election Day. Vote.gop provides that.
Voters are highly motivated to turn out and cast their ballot for President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot. This Voter Registration Day, go to Vote.gop to ensure you are registered and ready to vote.