Between 2020 and 2022, police officers had to deal with an emboldened new enemy: public opinion. Roused by the media and opportunistic politicians, we saw countless cities slash their security funding, lawmakers sponsoring laws to bury officers in red tape, and mobs of “dissatisfied” citizens looting and pillaging.
The results were unsurprising: around the country, crime rates soared for the first time since the 1980s. Underpaid and demoralized, veteran officers began resigning and retiring – and recruitment took a deep dive.
But in our great country, we the people always have the chance to make our voices heard. The 2022 Midterms provided a renewed promise. All we needed was to get our side of the story out and into the polls.
This is the story of how our organization chose to fight back – and what that means for police officers, their families, and everyone who supports the rule of law or has been a victim of crime in recent years.
What Could American Police Officers Alliance Do?
On October 25th, 2022, as Election Day approached, we launched our passionate “Get Out The Vote” (GOTV) address to the voting public: Do not forget your police force when voting. And do not fall for the lies of those who will sacrifice law enforcement for their political agenda.
Our GOTV campaign sought to identify every person who is concerned about crime, safety, and the rule of law, and to show them the facts about the “defund the police” movement – from its impact on communities to the noxious policies it seeks to sneak in. The goal was to ensure they voted with a clear conscience and with the full truth, in a way that moves us towards restoring the peace we’ve grown accustomed to throughout the United States.
We did this through:
- A content series with both blogs and videos on “Exposing the Anti-Police Agenda”
- A viral video ad
- A series of targeted ads and banners on digital and social media
- Automated calls and text messages
During this stage, we identified 241,249 voters around the country who all defined themselves as pro-law enforcement and socially conservative, but who were unlikely to vote in the 2022 process. We needed to ensure disenchantment wouldn’t win their hearts this time around.
Our Imprint – and Its Impact
Despite limited resources, we got almost all of our target population to lend us their voice. Now that the results have been certified, we can safely say that:
- 89.2% of our targeted population voted on November 2nd
- From the “unlikely to vote” (low propensity voters) group, 64% also voted
- This equals 15,523 people who stayed home in 2020 but voted Republican in 2022.
But perhaps the most exciting part of this campaign was to see people’s support. More than ever, American Police Officers Alliance saw how everyday citizens, despite the lies spouted by mainstream media, continue to appreciate and support law enforcement. Trust and love keep us going!
Thanks to the supporters, followers, and especially the voters that got out and made their voices heard, our 2022 GOTV campaign was a big success! We look forward to continuing this effort into the 2022 elections.
