Let me tell you about something I witnessed last election cycle that still keeps me up at night. A passionate voter in a swing district was trying to find her polling location. She visited her local Republican Party’s website, but the information was outdated. Frustrated, she went to the Democratic Party’s site instead – which not only gave her the correct information but also convinced her that the Republican candidates were bad for education.
One outdated website. One (known) lost voter. Unacceptable.
I recently sat down with a County Republican Chair who was proud of all the events and voter outreach his team was doing. “We’re more active than we’ve ever been,” he told me. Then I showed him what first-time visitors saw when they visited his party’s website: an announcement for a Lincoln Day Dinner… from 2019.
“But we use Facebook for current stuff,” he protested.
Here’s the thing – your website isn’t just a digital bulletin board. It’s your party’s virtual headquarters. And right now, for many County and District Republican Parties, that headquarters has cobwebs in the windows and a “Back in 5 Minutes” sign that’s been hanging there for three years.
Let me share a story that perfectly illustrates what’s at stake. Last year, I worked with a District Republican Party that was struggling with fundraising. Their website had a donation button, but it was broken. When we finally fixed it and made it mobile-friendly, their online donations increased by 300% in the first month.
Think about that. For months, they’d been leaving money on the table simply because their website wasn’t working properly.
I love telling the story of a small County Republican Party that turned things around with just a minimal investment in their website. They didn’t spend a fortune – they just focused on getting the basics right:
The result? In six months, they saw:
Here’s something fascinating I’ve noticed: a good website works 24/7, never takes a vacation, and never gets tired of answering the same questions over and over.
I recently watched a District Party transform their operation by treating their website like a full-time staff member. Instead of having volunteers field endless phone calls about polling locations and event details, they put everything on their website and trained their team to direct people there.
The volunteers were happier because they could focus on more important tasks, and voters were happier because they could find information whenever they needed it.
One of the most common objections I hear is about cost. “We’re a small county party,” they say. “We can’t afford a fancy website.”
Let me tell you about a District Party that transformed their digital presence for less than what they spent on their last fundraising dinner. They didn’t need all the bells and whistles – they just needed something clean, professional, and functional.
They focused on the basics:
The return on that investment? They raised more in online donations in the first two months than the website cost them for the entire year.
Think about this: right now, somewhere in your district, a potential voter or donor is visiting your website. What are they seeing? An outdated events calendar? A broken donation link? Information from the last election cycle?
Or are they seeing a professional, active party organization that they want to support?
Let’s Talk About Your Website
Every district is different, and I’d love to hear about your challenges. Is your website working as hard as it should for your party? Are you leaving money and votes on the table with an outdated digital presence?
Want to discuss your party’s digital strategy over coffee (virtual works too!)? Choose a time or reach out at Sean@VOTEGTR.com. I’m always happy to share ideas and help good Republican organizations build effective digital tools that win elections.