Values to Votes Basics

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Simply put, grassroots advocacy and campaigning can do things that partisan political campaigns can’t or don’t. 

However well-intentioned, Congressional campaigns and even state-level ones cannot be as present within communities as those who live there are. They can’t be as available to dialogue with fellow voters in both formal and informal settings. They aren’t necessarily there when the time is ripe for discussion and persuasion. 

Candidates and parties are going to be looked in a partisan and often suspicious light. 

wCommunity activists and leaders can be influencers in their communities with a year-round presence. They can be key to creating a more informed electorate, particularly around what voters want government to do to support their values. They can offer engagement, education, and dialogue with voters w.

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In 2026, upwards of ten billion dollars will be expended in partisan Congressional campaigns (and billions overall in state campaigns) – but this is unlikely to produce the dialogues and discussion needed for informed voting. Grassroots organization and advocacy relies upon civic engagement and not on huge sums of money.  They rely upon trusted dialogue and not media messages. When it comes to a more informed electorate, the role of grassroots advocacy is priceless.

For  an overview, see Core Takeaway Messages About Grassroots Advocacy.

  People vote their values and not just their pocketbooks. That is a good thing, but this also requires that people consider what they fundamentally want government to do to support their values. Candidate and party campaigns often focus upon and even fabricate hot-button issues that provide a “gotcha opportunity” to cast opponents in a bad light on a specifically chosen “wedge value.” 

This, however, does not speak to the core values most people hold or what they most want government to do. At best, it can lead to making candidate choices only on a small part of how they will represent their constituency. At worst, it can lead to cynicism about both candidates and government that works against government acting to support the broader core values voters share.

A “values to votes” framework starts by establishing the core values most people hold (family, community, security, faimess. personal rights and responsibilitoes -- democracy) and then explores how these relate to what people want government to do (policies, rights, and responsibilities). T

is then forms the basis for assessing their choices and holding candidates accountable for supporting policies that represent these values. If people are to truly vote their values, grassroots activism is needed to create the opportunity for values-based engagement, education, and dialogue to occur.

One of the challenges in American political campaigns is that voters often express distrust of government while simultaneously desiring the very services and protections that only government can provide. This contradiction is deeply rooted in the American political culture and decades of messaging and current partisan campaigning – but it also is a powerful opportunity for re-framing using a values-first communication strategy. 

The resource, Using a Values Framework to Shift Thinking About Government, offers seven ways to do so in dialogue and messaging:

1. Reframe government as the tool for advancing shared values

2. Replace government with people-oriented language

3. Reclaim the concept of the public good

4. Acknowledge frustrations without reinforcing cynicism

5. Tell stories of government as a positive force

6. Avoid the “Government vs. Private Sector” “Either-or” Trap

7. Use “we” language and connect to identityery contribution makes a difference!

While there are broadly shared values that can bring voters together, different voters place different priorities on those very values. Their own situations also mean they want different things from government to advance their values. 

This can be by age, parenting status, or geographic location. Often, grassroots leaders have particular constituencies with which they relate best and have the most influence. 

While common overall messages can have an impact upon all voters, messages and dialogues with particular constituencies directed to their particular values and concerns are most likely to maximize impact. Research has shown that there are specific constituencies who are most persuadable if they are engaged around their particular values and concerns.

The specific constituencies webpage provides information on engaging, educating, and energizing several specific constituencies.

As important to developing messages that will resonate with voters and their values is having messengers delivering them with the credibility, knowledge, and trust of those who are being addressed. 

Grassroots champions likely have their particular areas of credibility, knowledge, and trust that they can use effectively in messaging and dialogue. 

Grassroots organizations have different members who can present to different constituencies on different subjects. 

At the same time, it is likely new issues or concerns will emerge which require additional messengers and spokespeople.

Partcularly when seeking speakers for events or planning cmunity forums, enlisting appropriate messengers and speakers can bolster success. Grassroots organizations both can expand their own membership and provide opportunities to engage others outside the partisan political process in engaging and educating key constituencies in the community. 

Translating values into how candidates truly stand on issues is often more than a simple, one step process. To do so often involves examining issues through a values lens.

First, it requires engaging people around how their values relate to what they want government to do. Then, it requires looking at what this means in terms of where candidates and their parties actually plan to do, whether or not that is part of their campaign messages.

Town halls, community meetings, and neighborhood coffees all can offer the opportunity to do so in an educational way that invites dialogue. 

The core issues dialogue webpage offers ways to do so, including on specific major issues before candidates for state and national office.