Yesterday, the DNC launched Local Listeners, our latest and most aggressive voter contact program to engage more than one million infrequent voters — people who voted in 2020 but sat out 2024 — across key congressional districts. The program is focused on reaching infrequent voters early in the cycle with a ‘listening first’ approach. All volunteers will participate in a seven-week training program on how to better connect with voters, with sessions focused on ‘active listening’ and ‘having difficult conversations about politics.

More than 2,000 volunteers have already signed up for this new program, with 93% volunteering for the first time since 2024, demonstrating renewed grassroots energy for the Democratic Party.

Take a look at some of the coverage below: 

Reuters: Democrats launch program to reach infrequent voters ahead of US midterm elections

[Joseph Ax, 2/4/26]

“National Democrats will launch a program on Wednesday aimed at engaging more than 1 million infrequent U.S. voters in states with close races, well ahead of November’s midterm elections, according to an announcement seen by Reuters.

“More than 2,000 volunteers have already signed up for the ‘Local Listeners’ program, which calls for more than 250,000 phone conversations with voters and more than 50 in-person grassroots events nationwide. The campaign will also seek to register thousands of new voters in competitive congressional districts.

“The conversations, which will take a ‘listening first’ approach, will help the DNC identify critical issues for voters that can help inform messaging for Democratic candidates in those districts, the DNC said. … 

“‘Local Listeners is a massive voter contact operation built on a simple but powerful idea: If we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them,’ DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. ‘This program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters that we need to win elections now and for years to come.’”

The Guardian: Democrats launch aggressive campaign to win back infrequent voters

[Lauren Gambino, 2/4/26]

“On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) rolled out a new initiative called Local Listeners with the goal of targeting over one million ‘infrequent’ voters in key battleground districts. Seeking to build on the party’s string of off-year election victories, which extended into 2026 with an upset in Texas last weekend, the DNC is betting that early, localized outreach will be crucial in winning back these voters’ trust – and their ballots – this time around.

“‘If we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them,’ the DNC chair, Ken Martin, said in a statement, shared in advance with the Guardian. ‘This program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters that we need to win elections now and for years to come. The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters – these conversations need to happen early and often.’

“The program marks the DNC’s most ambitious early voter outreach effort for a midterm cycle, according to the organization. More than 2,000 volunteers have already signed up to participate in what the groups says is a sign, of ‘renewed grassroots energy’ for the party.”

Politico: Democrats want to find out why their voters stayed home in 2024 — and how to get them to show up this year

[Aaron Pellish, 2/4/26]

“Democrats are launching a new program Wednesday to try to reach voters in their corner who opted to stay home in 2024 instead of voting against then-candidate Donald Trump. … 

“The Democratic National Committee program — details of which were shared first with POLITICO — targets over a million voters they view as likely Democrats in battleground House districts who voted in 2020 but didn’t vote four years later. …

“‘We didn’t lose to Donald Trump. We lost to the couch,’ DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider said in an interview. ‘We saw our voters, many of our important voters, stay home. Obviously, that is a trend that cannot continue.’ …

“‘If we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them,’ DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. ‘The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters — these conversations need to happen early and often.’”

The Hill: Democrats launch new program to turn out infrequent voters

[Caroline Vakil, 2/4/26]

“The Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched a new initiative on Wednesday that aims to turn out likely Democratic voters in toss-up states and congressional districts who voted in 2020 but sat out the last presidential election. 

“The initiative, called Local Listeners, trains volunteers to engage infrequent voters, aiming to reach more than a million of them ahead of the midterms. …

“‘This program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters that we need to win elections now and for years to come,’ DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement on the new voter engagement initiative.

“‘The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters — these conversations need to happen early and often,’ he continued. ‘And the win-win with this program is that we’re also training thousands of volunteers to be voices for our Party on the frontlines of their communities.’”

Campaigns and Elections: Democrats Roll Out New Voter Contact Strategy Ahead of Midterms

[Max Greenwood, 2/4/26]

“Democrats are launching an ambitious voter contact effort with the goal of engaging more than a million infrequent voters in the first quarter of the year.

“As part of the effort – dubbed Local Listeners – the Democratic National Committee said that it would train thousands of volunteers across key battleground states and congressional districts on a ‘listening first’ approach to voter contact. Those volunteers will go through a seven-week training program focused on ‘active listening’ and how to have ‘difficult conversations about politics.’ …

“DNC Chair Ken Martin said that the program is built on the idea that if Democrats ‘want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them.’ 

‘This program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters that we need to win elections now and for years to come,’ Martin said in a statement. ‘The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters — these conversations need to happen early and often.’”

Meidas Touch News: DNC Unveils New Voter Contact Program to Reach Voters Who Sat Out in 2024

[Troy Matthews, 2/5/26]

“The DNC launched a new voter contact training program this week to target infrequent voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The program is called ‘Local Listeners’ and will train volunteers to engage with voters who turned out in the 2020 general election, but did not vote in 2024, to hear their concerns early in the election cycle to drive Democratic priorities. …

“‘Local Listeners is a massive voter contact operation built on a simple but powerful idea,’ DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement. ‘The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters—these conversations need to happen early and often. And the win-win with this program is that we’re also training thousands of volunteers to be voices for our Party on the frontlines of their communities.’”

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