BACKGROUND

When righteous anger over the murder of George Floyd brought millions out in the streets, the 2020 U.S. election offered a ray of hope in the fight for change. But decades of disenfranchisement and voter suppression left many Black Americans feeling like their vote didn’t count. Unable to stand by, Chicago’s mayor Lori Lightfoot wanted Black voters to matter.

In partnership with “When We All Vote,” the voter rights organization founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama, the City of Chicago aimed to bring the engagement seen during the George Floyd protests from the streets to the polls. The main objectives were to change the culture around voting and to increase the number of registrations and voters within Chicago’s Black community, and in extension within the entire nation.

IDEA

During the civil unrest, many buildings and stores barricaded their windows with plywood boards. It wasn’t long before those plain plywood boards became canvases for underrepresented communities to voice their frustrations, hopes and cries for change. The most striking plywood boards—seen by many as symbols of destruction—were transformed into tools to take concrete action: voting booths. The collection of various booths was then turned into an impactful exhibition that traveled to dozens of Chicago’s Black and Brown neighborhoods, to inspire residents to create systemic change through the power of their vote. The booths also initiated the crucial first step in the voting process: registration, through a simple smartphone scan.

The powerful tension at the core of this idea garnered attention from the nation’s biggest media outlets, allowing us to reach and inspire not only all citizens of Chicago, but millions of Americans.

STRATEGY

Voter and registration data from previous midterm and federal elections in Chicago was cross-referenced with the racial demographic makeup of the city’s different wards. This informed our location plan that focused on neighborhoods that had both a majority of Black & Brown residents and that ranked low in voter registration and turnout numbers. We also included locations that were more likely to be visited by journalists due to their significance and proximity to media outlets.

We created a thoughtful earned and owned media plan designed to amplify our message beyond the locations visited by the installation. This included the extensive city-owned out-of-home network, PR outreach, as well as a social media strategy leveraging the reach of the City of Chicago, Mayor Lightfoot, When We All Vote, the Chicago Public Library, the Board of Elections, the artists, as well as dozens of respected Black Chicagoans and Black influencers.

EXECUTION

Boards of Change was launched in the presence of the media with a fiery speech by Chicago’s Mayor Lightfoot standing in front of the boards, during which she called out President Trump for his blatant attacks on democracy and urged for unity and civic engagement.

In the weeks thereafter, the voting booths installation was taken to dozens of Black and Brown neighborhoods in the South and West sides of the city. For increased impact, the installation was set up at central locations and community meeting places, such as public libraries, galleries, and neighborhood events. Local community leaders and artists helped spread the word within the communities.

Leading up to Election Day, Black voices were amplified further, through social media and the help of Black influencers. A citywide digital outdoor campaign encouraged everyone to be a part of the change, even pointing voters to the nearest polling place.

IMPACT & RESULTS

The message of Boards of Change resonated throughout the entire nation, thanks to massive press coverage by Fox, MSN, ABC, Forbes, The New York Times, as well as making the front page of the Chicago Tribune. When being featured by NBC’s Nightly News with Lester Holt, Boards of Change was called “inspiring, meaningful and creative.”

The campaign exceeded its communication objective of reaching all eligible Black Chicagoans and empowered millions of Black Americans to know that their vote counts. Chicago achieved a record number of registrations and voters. There was a big increase in registrations and total votes cast were up 4%, leading to an overall turnout of 73%.

The exact impact of a project like this is of course very hard to measure. And it wouldn’t be right to claim that Boards for Change is solely responsible for the increased turnout. But what Boards of Change really set out to do was bigger than numbers. It aimed to give a voice to those who are silenced too often, to build back trust in our democracy, and to ultimately change the culture around voting. The real result is one we won’t get to see until many years from now. It takes time. It takes continued efforts and acts of bravery. From our politicians, our cities, brands, companies, and from the creative industry. Because we know that creativity can be a powerful multiplier to impact society and initiate significant change.

Today, Boards of Change lives on at the DuSable Museum for African American History, as part of a historic moment for the Black community.