Voter Education And Outreach Opportunities For 2020 Elections

To plan and implement a statewide voter education campaign that will educate Texans about identification requirements for voting. The campaign will utilize broadcast, print, and digital creative deliverables as well as activities that will reach Texans statewide through multiple channels.

Background:

Sections 63.001 and 63.0101 of the Texas Election Code require voters to provide certain forms of identification when voting in person. These provisions, among other things: require eligible Texas voters who possess one of seven approved forms of photo identification to present such identification at the polls; provide that voters who do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of the seven forms of approved photo identification to fill out a reasonable impediment declaration form and provide a supporting form of identification; and allow some voters to qualify for certain exemptions to presenting an acceptable form of photo identification or following the reasonable impediment declaration procedure. 4 Section 31.012(b) of the Texas Election Code provides that SOS “shall conduct a statewide effort to educate voters regarding the identification requirements for voting prescribed by Chapter 63 [of the Texas Election Code].” To that end, SOS worked to educate voters about the Texas Election Code’s identification requirements—some of which first went into effect in June 2013—through voter education campaigns covering prior election cycles, including general and primary elections in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In the General Appropriations Act adopted by the 86th Texas Legislature, SOS was appropriated funding for the 2020-2021 biennium to “educat[e] the public, including students, regarding the required documents for voting and the general voting process pursuant to Section 31.012, Election Code.”

SOS seeks to partner with a Contractor to implement a statewide voter education campaign with an emphasis on voter identification requirements.

Scope of Work:

The project will seek to educate Texas voters about the State’s voter education requirements in the 2020 primary election (Phase I) and 2020 general election (Phase II). It is expected that the project requirements for Phase I and Phase II will be substantially similar, except that Phase I will seek to educate and communicate with Texans for purposes of the March 3, 2020 primary election (and any subsequent primary runoff election), and Phase II will seek to educate and communicate with Texans for purposes of the November 3, 2020 general election. It is expected that the activities in Phase I will incorporate approximately 40% of the allocated budget and the activities in Phase II will incorporate approximately 60% of the allocated budget.

Consistent with the broad goals set forth in Sections 1.1 and 1.2 of this RFP, and the foregoing provisions, specific tasks to be implemented in Phase I and/or Phase II (as agreed upon through the Task Activity Plan and Cost Estimate processes referenced in Sections 4.3 and 4.4 of this RFP) may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Develop overall concept and design of voter education materials consistent with current branding/Vote Texas;
• Provide creative consultation and production consultation with SOS;
• Research, plan, develop, and implement voter information/outreach strategies, messages, and materials for the general statewide voting population, and various subgroups such as the Spanish-speaking population, special needs population, students, young and elderly voters, first-time voters, and individuals who are eligible to vote but are not registered;
• Research, plan, develop, and implement strategies, messages, and materials to inform the statewide voting population and targeted subgroups of applicable voter identification requirements and processes;
• Plan, design and produce, or re-broadcast educational voter information/outreach materials in multiple formats, possibly including television, print, radio, electronic formats (such as Internet and smartphone applications), and in video formats that are research based and appropriate for selected venues and media;
• Update the VoteTexas.gov web site as requested by SOS. Updating SOS’s main website (www.sos.state.tx.us, www.sos.texas.gov) is a responsibility of SOS;
• Plan and implement innovative and effective special events and activities across the State of Texas to engage the public in meaningful ways and achieve desired results;
• Develop and implement social media opportunities as a way to supplement traditional advertising methods to inform all Texans of the voting process and voter identification requirements; 
• Engage with community news organizations across the State of Texas in developing and implementing a comprehensive voter education plan;
• Provide weekly update meetings, status reports, detailed activity reports for prior weeks and projections for future plans, and possible oral presentations to SOS executive staff on a regular basis;
• Provide awareness tracking at various stages of the program. Benchmark tracking shall be provided prior to Phase I followed by awareness tracking after Phases I and II. SOS will review awareness tracking after both phases to determine effectiveness of the level of awareness of the program and dissemination of the messages to the public. Contractor may be required to improve and/or modify delivery of messages based on request of SOS. Awareness tracking shall include the engagement of an independent subcontractor, approved by SOS, to conduct awareness tracking.

Due Date:

December 16^th, 2019 at 5:00pm

Address:

Shuford Scott

Secretary of State, Purchasing Department

James E. Rudder Building, Suite 405, 1019 Brazos Street

Austin, TX 78701

Relevant agencies include MWWPR and W2O Group.