Grassroots Voter Outreach and the Politics of Engagement: An Ethnographic Study of Disengaged Voters

• In Event: Teaching and Learning in Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 2: Race, Equity and Civic Engagement

Abstract

As democratic inequalities continue to grow in the post–Shelby County v. Holder era, grassroots organizations have become central actors in voter outreach and voter education, particularly in communities often overlooked by traditional campaigns. Using participant observation and in-depth interviews with organizers, canvassers, and voters, the study examines how people are reached, how trust is built, and how campaigns navigate institutional barriers. This study asks: How do organizers identify and engage disengaged or low-propensity voters? What strategies are used to address structural and psychological barriers to participation? How do organizers attempt to build civic identity and political trust? And how do voters themselves evaluate outreach efforts and define what meaningful engagement looks like?
This study aims to create a dialogue between voters and organizers about outreach strategies—highlighting what works, what happens on the ground, and what voters say they need from campaigns and civic organizations.
Preliminary findings suggest that effective mobilization – and research on this demographic – relies on long-term presence, an embedded approach, and culturally grounded engagement as much as formal strategy. By centering ethnographic insight and lived experience.

Author

• JoVontae Butts, Florida State University