MIXED METHOD RESEARCH INFORMING MULTILINGUAL MESSAGING FOR A CITYWIDE VOTER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
PROJECT DURATION
March - June 2022
ROLE
Design Researcher + Strategist
photo credit
Jason Ciaccia
PROJECT OVERVIEW
In 2023, New York City was poised to become the largest city in the U.S to grant noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. 3x3 was engaged by New York City Campaign Finance Board to conduct a research study to understand public awareness and perceptions of a new municipal voting law for non-citizens. Our research goal was to ensure an inclusive research process that connects newly eligible voters with the campaign's messaging.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS
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Design Research Lead Co-developed research plan, designed interview guides and participatory workshops, led synthesis session, and conducted 1:1 interviews and focus groups with immigrant organizations, government agencies, and new voters.
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Partnership Lead Managed CBO partnerships, led outreach, recruitment efforts, and onboarded community researchers
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Project Manager Co-managed project timelines and work plans and served as the primary contact for partner communications.
IMPACT
Although the law was later struck down and is undergoing an appeal process, this research:
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Informed the design of a culturally responsive, multilingual registration campaign for a citywide initiative.
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Identified key barriers to participation, enabling clearer and actionable voter education.
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Improved message clarity by delivering tested terminology and recommendations
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Embedded equity into the research process by creating an inclusive framework for future campaign development.
CHALLENGE
Problem
Under the new law, Intro 1867, an estimated 800,000 non-citizens, including permanent residents, work visa holders, and DACA recipients, would be able to vote in NYC local elections for the first time. Early assumptions from our team and partners suggested that most new eligible voters were unaware of this opportunity. There was no precedent in NYC for researching non-citizen municipal voting at this scale, and therefore limited data on awareness levels, cultural perceptions of voting, or effective outreach strategies for this large, untapped population.
Opportunity
Research framing question
How might the perception of the first non-citizen municipal voting law impact newly eligible immigrant voters' participation in upcoming city elections?
This policy shift created a rare opportunity to shape outreach strategy prior to citywide implementation, with the potential to influence communication reaching over 800,000 newly eligible residents.
Research goals
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Surface awareness and perception of the new law
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Identify structural, informational, cultural, linguistic, or trust-based barriers and drivers that may prevent or encourage engagement
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Understand how linguistic framing and visual communication shape confidence and comprehension with potential voters
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Identify trusted messengers and channels by understanding past experiences and the historical context of diverse communities
RESEARCH PROCESS
Methodology snapshot
Survey
217
Use printed and digital surveys to establish a baseline of eligible new voters’ sentiments and priorities
Key Expert
Inteviews
6
In-depth interviews with organizations serving immigrant communities
1:1
Interviews
20
Semi-structured interviews with eligible new voters
Focus Group
Sessions
8
Focus group sessions held in 5 languages (N=50 participants)
RESEARCH APPROACH
Research Design
We used a mixed-methods approach to understand both population scale and lived experience.
Understanding our target audience
CENSUS POPULATION ANALYSIS
Our team partnered with a data analyst to conduct census analysis to estimate the total population of eligible voting age noncitizens in NYC and their geographic distribution by demographic indicators such as language, race, digital access, educational attainment.
We learned:
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39% of NYC’s foreign-born population are voting-age non-citizens.
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The majority of voting age non-citizens identify as Hispanic/Latino/Latinx.
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The majority of Spanish and Chinese-speaking noncitizen immigrants live in Queens and Brooklyn.
Distribution of voting age non-citizens in NYC
ENGAGEMENT MAPPING WITH STAKEHOLDERS
I facilitated a cross-partner workshop to align on engagement phases, sampling goals, constraints, and success metrics. This process enabled us to prioritize a clear sampling criteria and develop a shared roadmap with defined measures of success.
Building an inclusive recruitment strategy
PARTNERING WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO BUILD TRUST
Our primary recruitment strategy focused on partnering with CBOs directly serving NYC’s immigrant population. I was responsible for outreach to 40+ CBOs and managed the relationship and recruitment process with the final 9 CBO partners selected based on our target neighborhoods and language groups.
MULTILINGUAL OUTREACH
We prioritized language access throughout recruitment and research.
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Qualitative research was conducted in English, Chinese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Bengali, and Arabic, with surveys also available in Russian.
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All materials for print, social media, and surveys were designed in these 6 languages and included QR code access.
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To reach individuals without internet access or limited digital literacy, we distributed printed surveys and posters in diverse ethnic neighborhoods and conducted tabling and canvassing at various community events.
LEARNINGS
Key Insights
Our team presented the final findings to the internal Campaign Finance Board team and their partners, including up to 100 CBOs and agencies.
02
BARRIERS
Fear acts as a structural barrier to participation.
31% of respondents feared voting could harm their immigration status and citizenship applications due to a lack of knowledge about the process. They worry about risking green cards, visa renewals, or future citizenship applications, and some fear racial backlash or targeting at polling sites.
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LINGUISTIC NUANCES
Language and visual Framing can signal belonging or reinforce exclusion within civic participation.
Language and visuals directly shape whether newly eligible residents see themselves as part of the democratic system or outside of it. Many respondents found direct translations confusing and culturally awkward, reducing credibility and trust. Multilingual campaigns should prioritize transcreation over translation to build trust.
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AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION
The opportunity to vote signifies civic belonging, not just participation.
Although awareness is low among noncitizen immigrants, they were excited about the possibility of being first-time voters and viewed voting as a form of recognition and belonging.
Eligible voters described voting as:
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Having a voice
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Feeling a sense of belonging and inclusion
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Supporting candidates from their communities
We non-citizens also have the duty to express ourselves in New York.
It gives me the possibility to choose what I believe will be good for my community!
Will it affect me waiting to schedule a green card interview?
I am worried about more hate towards minority community from conservative americans
Don’t remind me I’m not a citizen.
Participants reacted negatively to exclusionary terms such as:
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Noncitizen voter
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Immigrant voter
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International voter