LWVSRQ Wins State Award for GOTV Campaign
The Sarasota News Leader | Published on 6/18/2025
The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County recently won state recognition for its 2024 Get Out the Vote Campaign (GOTV), the nonprofit has announced.
The award, which was presented during the League of Women Voters of Florida Biennial Convention on June 6, recognizes “exceptional leadership in equipping voters with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to participate fully in our democracy,” a news release points out.
The award was accepted by immediate past president Shawn Bartelt, who spearheaded the GOTV campaign, the release adds.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Bartlet said in the release. “We were able to respond to our community’s call for nonpartisan voter information through the efforts of our 300+ members and dedicated volunteers.”
The release explains that the members of the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County (LWVSRQ) “had several concerns” going into the 2024 August primary election:
“Historically low voter turnout in primary elections.
“Voters would have to re-request vote-by-mail ballots for the first time since the implementation of new legislation.”
Further, the release points out, while the August elections were being promoted as primaries, the Sarasota County School Board election “was a final election and open to all voters, regardless of party affiliation.
“Through the generosity of donations to the LWVSRQ’s Giving Challenge campaign,” the release continues, “the League funded a multimedia/multilingual campaign consisting of professionally designed social media posts, IHeart radio announcements and YouTube ads.” Further, the release notes, the League members shared media toolkits with their nonpartisan partner organizations “and distributed printed trifold brochures identifying key characteristics to look for” in candidates for the Sarasota County School Board and the Sarasota Memorial Hospital board.
Additionally, the release points out, “The League hosted a Sarasota County School Board candidate forum and for the first time, held a primary election candidate forum for Hospital Board.
“The Sarasota League’s campaign achieved success in election outcomes and voter turnout,” the release says. “Sarasota County recorded a 31.8% turnout rate, ranking second highest in the state. Attendance at forums and events set new records. YouTube views of recorded sessions topped 1,200, and social media impressions exceeded 1 million,” the release notes.