A stand out social media campaign to combat election disinformation

for Common Cause

Challenge:

• Election misinformation was rampant leading up to the 2021 presidential election
• Needed graphics their 300+ partner organizations could adapt and deploy
• Didn't have an in-house go-to designer
• Needed real-time graphics and messaging as election information was being reported online

Services: Creative Strategy, Design, Messaging, Copywriting

Introduction
Common Cause mobilizes thousands of volunteers to help Americans navigate the voting process through its Election Protection coalition. Election Protection consists of 300+ national, state, and local partners working year-round to ensure all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count. Election Protection provides information and assistance with voting – from registration to absentee and early voting, to casting a vote at the polls, to overcoming obstacles to their participation.

The Opportunity
Election Protection needed to produce a weekly suite of pro-voter content-based to combat the false content about voting and the electoral process being spread online. As well as rapid response graphics based on disinformation they were constantly monitoring.

Results
At our kickoff meeting, we discussed their brand, their partners’ needs, as well as what success would look like. We already had messaging and analysis resources to refer to through their coalition. But we needed to create a campaign that established them as an authority on the issue, was audience-focused, proactive, highlighted shared values, and changed the conversation by focusing on a system of integrity and access. 

This campaign was also going to be deployed to their many partners to adjust and translate to their specific audiences. To be sure our campaign stood out and was championed, we had to provide the partners with something that is visually distinct but feels like part of the Common Cause family. After comparison and analysis of the partners’ social media feeds we were able to determine what visuals and design attributes we should avoid and which we should indulge in.

Our mood board process allowed Election Protection to see the potential of different design options without the constraints of too many specifics. We were able to discuss and determine the correct attributes and tone the campaign should have and how to best visualize it through color, illustrations, photos, and font choice.

The Impact
While this started out as a straightforward “design only” project we quickly realized that the scope needed to include post copywriting, as well as additional work post election results. 

I created over 30+ graphics and posts for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as easy to use, editable graphics for partners to adapt to their needs. In addition, I designed a style guide to help ensure consistency and instruct partner organizations the most efficient way to use the assets. 

To date Common Cause has recruited 4,330 volunteers and online influencers to monitor social media for disinformation and provide voters with correct, factual information about their right to vote; and trained 35 national, state, and local groups to centralize monitoring and rapid response related to voting disinformation.