Good People | Work | Ride to the Polls

Case study

Ride to the Polls

Preserving and celebrating the culture of Navajo Nation while mobilizing voter turnout.

Client

Protect the Sacred

Problem

In 2020, Navajo Nation became the #1 COVID-19 hotspot nationwide, threatening both the lives of 170,000 people and the preservation of Native stories and cultural heritage guarded by Native elders.

Solution

Leverage the rich cultural heritage of Native communities to engage members of Navajo Nation and mobilize voter turnout in an historic election.

Protect the Sacred launched a rapid-response campaign to slow the spread of COVID-19, which evolved into an engagement campaign to advocate for the community.

Ride to the Polls encouraged members of Navajo Nation to ride horseback to cast their vote in honor of their ancestors who did the same. Video of Native elders riding to the polls captured attention and encouraged other members of Native communities to get involved and share their stories. The campaign generated viral content and over the next four years, gave birth to similar movements like Skate to the Polls and Quince to the Polls, reflecting popular cultural movements within Native communities.

The campaign led targeted efforts in five battleground states, creating content around these activations, running ads, and mobilizing Indigenous communities through events and other partnerships that advocated for social change, in addition to get out the vote efforts.