Personal and Political: Leveraging Personal Connections to Promote Voting

The final preparation for a study of voter turnout in Hartford’s chronically underrepresented neighborhoods wrapped up in mid-September at Trinity College. Now it moves to the streets.

Throughout the past summer, a team of political science faculty members and students recruited city residents as “voter captains” to pursue the goal of convincing friends, family, and neighbors to vote in the November election.

Among economically developed countries, the United States has some of the lowest voter turnout rates. But in recent years, voter mobilization efforts that leverage personal social connections have been found to be effective. Up to this point, the areas implementing this strategy have been primarily suburban and not reflective of Hartford’s diverse population.

Dang Do, assistant professor of political science, and Abigail Fisher Williamson, associate professor of political science and public policy and law, wait for Election Day to determine its effectiveness in Hartford’s more diverse neighborhoods.

As a Community Learning Faculty Fellow, Do worked with Trinity’s Center for Hartford Engagement and Research to develop a mutually beneficial project that supports faculty research, students’ learning, and Hartford residents’ goals.

With support from a Hartford Foundation for Public Giving grant and Trinity’s Summer Research Program, Trinity students fanned out in the city throughout the summer, spending time talking to prospective voter captains at libraries, block parties, and the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. “This is the type of community-engaged scholarship that works in concert with Hartford residents to advance their goals,” said Do.

Each voter captain assembled a list of 20 people they wanted to convince to vote this election. Then, students in Professor Do’s “Racial Politics Research Methods” class worked with voter captains to finalize their contact lists.

Using skills from the class, students randomly assigned captains to approach half of the contacts they listed. The effectiveness of the effort will be measured by comparing the voting participation rates of the contacts who were approached versus those who were not.

By grounding the voting conversations in shared cultural references and collective memories, narrative-based interactions can foster a sense of solidarity and empowerment among residents of color, researchers said. Through storytelling and personal testimonials, individuals can authentically convey the importance of voting and inspire others to participate.

Richard Frieder attended the final training session as a representative of Hartford Votes~Hartford Vota Coalition, a nonpartisan organization with a mission to increase voter engagement in the city.

“I’m really drawn to the efforts that have the potential to move the needle,” said Frieder, of New Hartford, who has been active with the organization since it began about two decades ago.

Hartford Votes~Hartford Vota Coalition attempted a program like the Trinity study about a decade ago and saw a slight percentage increase in voting but was not able to implement it again, Frieder said.

By engaging Trinity students in this work, Do increases their hands-on data analysis and community engagement skills, while also advancing the coalition’s goals. “There is something transformational about this work,” he said.

A Trinity student researcher on the project agreed.

“This has been so rewarding,” said Antonia Kambolis ’26, a political science, and human rights major. “There is such a sense of empowerment happening.”