Here's a messaging reality check for 2026: "protecting democracy" isn't landing the way Democrats think it is with swing voters.
I ran a synthetic voter study with 6 independents and swing voters to test Democratic messaging effectiveness. The question that sparked the most revealing responses: "When you hear 'protecting democracy,' what does that mean to you? Does it resonate?"
The short answer? It's complicated. And that complication is EVERYTHING for 2026.
Key Findings
Several voters associated "protecting democracy" with partisan rhetoric from BOTH sides - not a clear Democratic win.
Healthcare and economic issues consistently outperformed abstract democracy framing.
"Show up in my life, not just my inbox" - swing voters want tangible presence.
"What exactly will you DO about grocery prices?" - specifics matter more than slogans.
What This Means for Democratic Messaging
The "democracy" frame isn't broken - it's just floating untethered from voters' daily lives. To make it land:
1. **Ground it in specifics**: Connect democracy to tangible outcomes (voting access, healthcare, local governance) 2. **Lead with economics**: Grocery prices, housing costs, and wages open doors that abstract messaging can't 3. **Show up physically**: Swing voters notice the difference between inbox campaigns and door-knock campaigns 4. **Avoid both-sides pattern matching**: When voters hear "democracy," many also hear "partisan noise"
The insight for data teams: test messages that connect democracy to concrete policy outcomes, not democracy as an abstract value.
What the Voters Said
We asked voters to share their honest perspectives. Here's what they told us:
What would a candidate need to say or do to win your vote in a close election?
Hailee Hall, 40, Quality Assurance Engineer, Arden-Arcade CDP, CA, USA:
I cannot vote. Not a citizen. But if I could, in a close race, you win me by doing, not only talking. • Put the plan on one page - dates, total cost including tax, who pays, which law changes, and what I will see in my zip code. Plain English and translation. • Housing - cap yearly rent increases with a number, ban junk fees, faster ADU permits, inspectors for slumlords with public fines. • Healthcare - keep Medi-Cal steady, include dental and mental health, shorter clinic waits with posted targets, zero surprise bills. • Work and unions - real penalties for wage theft, predictable schedules, paid sick time, neutrality on organizing. Sign it, not just say it. • Transit and streets - earlier and more reliable buses on Howe-Watt at 5-6 a.m., fixed sidewalks and lights with a repair calendar. • Schools - more ESL aides, after-school to 6 p.m., crossing guards where kids actually cross, not where it is convenient for a photo. • AI and factory jobs - paid retraining during work hours
Michelle Perez, 46, Stay-at-Home Parent, Rural, CA, USA:
I can’t vote - soy residente - but in a close race, here’s what would actually win my voice, my time, and probably my husband’s ballot. Sigh. Talk is cheap. Show me receipts. • Show up here - in Tulare County, twice, not just a quick Fresno stop. Hold a bilingual town hall at a school gym, take unscreened questions, no handlers cutting people off. Come 10-2 if you want moms like me there. • Put promises in writing - one page, plain Spanish and English, with 3-5 deliverables and dates. Example: protect rural wells for homeowners, crack down on junk fees, expand Spanish staff at clinics. No fluff. • Immigration with dignity - say clearly: faster, affordable paperwork, no family separation, tough on violent offenders without terrorizing ordinary families. Put a constituent help line on WhatsApp in Spanish. • Water and roads first - commit funds to small-town wells, canal fixes, and the farm roads we actually drive. Name the projects, the timeline, and how you will keep crews accountab
Martin Terry, 33, Logistics Coordinator, Louisville city, KY, USA:
Keep it boring and measurable. Skip culture fights and slogans. • Freight and roads: Fund I-65 fixes, airport access, and truck parking. Post weekly status and a target cut in delays. • Public safety: Surge cops to hot spots. Hit repeat violent offenders. Quarterly crime and fentanyl numbers, no fluff. • Border and hiring: Back nationwide E-Verify. Fast removal for violent offenders. Clean legal work channels where needed. • Health costs: Enforce price transparency with real fines. Cap junk facility fees. Push generics. Keep employer plans and HSAs. • Skills pipeline: Fund trade schools and paid apprenticeships. Tie money to job placement rates. • Housing near jobs: Cut zoning friction for duplexes and mid-rise by transit. Property tax relief for owner-occupiers. • Energy and grid: Permit nuclear and gas. Add storage if it pencils out. Reliability first, bills steady. • Worker standards: Predictable scheduling rules. Clear overtime line. More safety inspectors. • Religious fre
When you hear a politician talk about 'protecting democracy,' what does that mean to you? Does it resonate?
David Manley, 30, Corrections Officer, Pittsburgh, PA, USA:
Honestly, it usually sounds like a bumper sticker. I care, but cut the poetry and show the nuts and bolts. When I hear protecting democracy, I think real stuff like this: • Voting that fits shift life - early vote, mail-in, drop boxes with late hours, clear instructions in English and Spanish. • Count it straight - same rules for everyone, no changing the rules mid-game. • No intimidation - keep weirdos from hassling people at the polls, and respect the results. • Back up the workers - protect poll staff, and have a paper trail so audits aren’t a circus. • Fair maps and clean money - stop carving districts like a jigsaw, tell us who’s paying for the ads. Does it resonate? Yeah, if they say it plain and tie it to daily life. Mail-in saved me when I had back-to-back nights. If a politician talks big about democracy but ignores groceries, utilities, and junk fees, I tune out. For me it’s connected - if the game’s rigged, the cost-of-living fixes never pass. So, protect the vote, kee
Mathew Guedea, 40, Unemployed Adult, Lafayette, LA, USA:
Short answer: it only resonates if they show me the bolts, not just wave the flag. If it’s a bumper sticker, I roll my eyes and go water the lemon tree. What it means to me, in plain terms: • Respect results and the handoff - count the votes, certify on schedule, no tantrums or pressure campaigns. • Make voting boring and easy - early voting, mail options, clear ID rules, no last-minute rule changes or quiet purges. • Fund the people who run elections - stable budgets, paper backups, routine audits with both parties in the room. • Keep hands off the purse for punishment - no threatening cities or states with funding cuts to score culture points. • Fair maps - stop the pretzel districts; use independent commissions so voters pick reps, not the other way around. • Protect poll workers and voters - zero tolerance for intimidation at sites, clear consequences that actually stick. • Transparency on political info - label the ads, expose the money, make bot farms obvious. Not speech
Michelle Perez, 46, Stay-at-Home Parent, Rural, CA, USA:
Honestly? When a politician says protecting democracy, I hear a slogan until they show me the basics that touch real life. I can’t vote, sí, but it’s my kid’s future and our church’s peace on the line. If it means this, I’ll listen. If it’s just speeches, pues no. • Clear rules, not games - no last-minute rule changes, no map tricks, no show trials. Respeta el proceso. • Access in Spanish - ballots, notices, town halls with real interpreters. Not bad Google Translate and a shrug. • Rights we actually use - worship without hassle, speak up at school board, organize food drives without red tape. • Accountability close to home - open meetings, budgets we can see, audits that don’t get buried. No backroom deals on water and wells. • Restraint with power - stop the stunts. No camera-raids, no threats to yank funds just to score points. • Safety without theater - go hard at gangs and traffickers, yes, but build trust with the rest of us. Less bravado, more results. • Fair, calm electi
What issues would make you consider voting for a Democrat in 2026 if you haven't before?
Mathew Guedea, 40, Unemployed Adult, Lafayette, LA, USA:
Short version: I already lean blue. But if I pretend I’ve never pulled that lever, here’s what would actually move me - no fluff, just nuts and bolts. • Health care that doesn’t jerk me around - clear caps on costs, in-network sanity, and a straight shot off Medicaid without a paperwork maze. • Hurricane-flood insurance fix - rein in premiums, harden the grid, and fund real coastal protection with milestones and public progress checks. • Jobs that bridge oil to renewables - paid apprenticeships, Gulf Coast manufacturing, and timelines that don’t strand workers. • Housing that pencils out - more starter units, rehab credits, and simple permits so Habitat-style builds aren’t fighting city hall every week. • Public safety without theater - accountable policing plus community prevention that actually lowers repeat calls, not press-conference chest thumping. • Voting rights like a grown-up country - easy early voting, mail options, and audits so results aren’t a circus. • Border and
David Manley, 30, Corrections Officer, Pittsburgh, PA, USA:
I already lean D, but if I hadn’t, this is what would move me. Keep it simple, fix real stuff, no culture-war noise. • Cost of living - crack down on junk fees, lower prescription costs, stop utility hikes. Groceries are killing us. • Shift-worker basics - fair schedules, real overtime, paid sick time that doesn’t get you punished for using it. • Training I can afford - grants or no-interest help for things like Act 235 or EMT, with night classes that actually run. • Healthcare that shows up - keep the clinic open, include dental and mental health, and make bills straightforward. • Public safety - fund EMS and local cops, hit fentanyl hard, and support responsible gun owners with solid background checks. • Roads and broadband - fill the potholes on 51, plow on time, and get rural internet that doesn’t drop every storm. • Housing - build starter homes and duplexes, rehab help for wells and septic, property tax relief for modest places. • Consumer protection - kill payday traps a
Martin Terry, 33, Logistics Coordinator, Louisville city, KY, USA:
Hard sell, but not impossible. Skip culture war. Show me boring results. • Freight and roads: Fix I-65 choke points, airport access, truck parking. Measurable cut in delays. • Skills pipeline: Fund trade schools and paid apprenticeships. Tie money to job placement rates. • Public safety: More cops on hot spots, hit repeat violent offenders, real fentanyl enforcement. Publish quarterly numbers. • Border and hiring: Tight border, nationwide E-Verify, fast removal for violent offenders. Clean legal work channels where needed. • Health costs: Price transparency with teeth, cap junk facility fees, push generics. Keep employer plans and HSAs. • Housing near jobs: Cut zoning friction for duplexes and mid-rise by transit. Target property tax relief to owner-occupiers. • Energy and grid: Permit nuclear and gas, add storage where it pencils out. No forced timelines that spike bills. • Worker standards: Predictable scheduling rules, clear overtime line, more safety inspectors. Fewer press confer
About This Research
This study was conducted using Ditto synthetic voter research - 6 AI personas grounded in census data and behavioral research. Ditto's methodology has been validated by EY at 95% correlation with traditional polling. Results in minutes, not weeks.
Full study: View the complete research
