Voter Education Campaign
Wrap Report
A full-funnel paid media, organic social, public relations, and web analytics case study for the 2026 Texas Primary Election — January 3 through March 3, 2026.
Strategy & Objectives
The 2026 Texas Primary campaign was designed to establish an efficient, scalable media approach that builds voter awareness across the Primary and Runoff elections — prioritizing a unified, statewide voter audience strategy while maximizing reach and efficiency.
Broad Statewide Reach
Achieve consistent reach with sufficient frequency to reinforce key voter education messages across all 42 Texas markets.
Cost Efficiency
Maintain efficient CPMs and CPCs in line with public-sector benchmarks across all platforms and audience segments.
Message Delivery
High video completion rates and engagement indicating successful voter education message exposure.
Platform Stability
Consistent pacing and delivery across the Primary and Runoff phases with full budget utilization.
Campaign Flight & Audience Segments
| Segment | Audience | Flight Dates | Gross Spend | Impressions | Sessions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Base | Eligible Voters P18–49 | Jan 3 – Mar 3 | $131,263 | 21.1M | 95,834 |
Hispanic | Hispanic Eligible Voters P18–49 | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | $30,870 | 2.72M | 2,536 |
YNV | Young / New Voters P18–24 | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | $6,851 | 2.06M | 1,777 |
ELDI | Elderly P65+ / Disabled | Feb 3 – Mar 3 | $6,870 | 2.04M | 4,437 |
| TOTAL | $175,854 | 27.9M | 104,584 | ||
Performance by Audience Segment
Select an audience segment to explore line item performance, key metrics, and insights.
The Base campaign delivered 21.1M impressions across 12 line items, with Facebook CTR of 2.19% (2.4× benchmark), OTT VCR of 99.09%, and iHeart audio at 100% completion — all while driving 95,834 sessions to VoteTexas.gov.
Line Item Performance
| Line Item | Impressions | Clicks / Completions | CTR / VCR | vs. Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Video + Display | 3,818,207 | 31,551 clicks | 0.83% | Benchmark: 0.90% |
| Facebook Video + Display | 3,543,835 | 77,519 clicks | 2.19% | ✓ Beat — 0.90% |
| YouTube | 2,396,394 | 2,370 clicks | 62.44% | ✓ Beat — 40–60% |
| CTV / OTT (ATD) | 917,586 | 909,197 completions | 99.09% | ✓ Beat — 95% |
| Amazon Prime Video | 1,465,687 | 1,445,754 completions | 96.6% | ✓ Beat — 95% |
| Cross-Platform Display | 858,088 | 668 clicks | 0.08% | Benchmark: 0.12% |
| Cross-Platform Video | 1,108,588 | 53,575 clicks | 4.83% | ✓ Beat — 0.12% |
| Social Retargeting | 1,423,929 | 3,483 clicks | 0.24% | Benchmark: 0.90% |
| Email Blasts (eTarget) | 1,495,426 | 10,727 clicks | 2.2% | |
| iHeart Streaming Audio | 1,542,941 | 1,542,941 completions | 100% | ✓ Beat — — |
| Linear Radio (Voices of SW) | 988,200 | — | 244 index | |
| DOOH / Vistar | 591,074 | 7 metros · 21 cities | — |
Impressions by Audience
Platform Performance
Video Completion Rates
CPM by Audience
Earned Media Results
The dual VNRs in February generated 650+ placements and $4M+ in earned media value, spanning across broadcast, print, digital, and bilingual outlets — delivering strong statewide saturation with national amplification.
Coverage included CNN, NBC News, Politico, AP, and major Texas broadcast markets, plus 48+ confirmed placements across national, state, and Spanish-language outlets — spanning broadcast, print, digital, and bilingual media.
* Earned media value represents a conservative estimate due to overlap between VNR distribution and broader news coverage.
VoteTexas.gov Traffic
VoteTexas.gov generated 3,477,368 total sessions during the reporting period, led by organic search and direct traffic, with paid campaigns contributing a focused and measurable lift.
Campaign Timeline Insights
Site averaged ~12,000 sessions/day (low 4K, high 20K) — baseline organic traffic before paid media launch.
Organic social referral traffic surged overall site traffic 5.5×, averaging 79,500 sessions/day.
Full paid media campaign launched, driving 76,000+ visitors. Averaged ~24,000 sessions/day (low 18K, high 30K).
Early Voting period: 1,250,891 web sessions — the highest sustained traffic of the campaign.
Election Day: 794,912 sessions — voters actively seeking polling information and ID requirements.
Sessions by Paid Campaign
Video / Cross-Platform drives 45.6% of all paid campaign sessions, making it the highest-ROI paid placement. Meta platforms account for ~68% of all referral traffic. Organic search remains the backbone at 64% of total sessions.
Sessions by Campaign & Line Item
| Campaign / Line Item | Sessions | % of Paid Total |
|---|---|---|
| SOS-VT-Base | 95,834 | 91.6% |
| Video / Cross-Platform | 43,689 | 41.8% |
| Paid Social / Instagram | 23,826 | 22.8% |
| Paid Social / Facebook | 14,565 | 13.9% |
| e-Target / Paid Eblast | 5,093 | 4.9% |
| Display / Cross-Platform | 2,855 | 2.7% |
| iHeart / Static Digital | 1,668 | 1.6% |
| Paid Social / Retargeting | 1,662 | 1.6% |
| Google / CPC | 1,575 | 1.5% |
| SOS-VT-ELDI | 4,437 | 4.2% |
| SOS-VT-Hispanic | 2,536 | 2.4% |
| SOS-VT-YNV | 1,777 | 1.7% |
| GRAND TOTAL | 104,584 | 100% |
Campaign Performance Summary
+49% vs. 2022 midterm — shattering every modern Texas midterm primary record. 24% voter turnout rate, up from 17% in 2018.
CTV/OTT achieved 99.09% video completion rate (benchmark: 95%). Amazon Prime Video hit 96.6% VCR. iHeart audio delivered 100% completion.
Facebook Video+Display CTR of 2.19% — 2.4× the 0.90% industry benchmark — making it the top click-driving social placement.
Young/New Voter segment achieved the lowest CPM in the campaign at $3.32 — 58% below the blended average of $7.88.
Paid campaigns drove 104,584 sessions at $2.13 blended cost per session. Early Voting period alone generated 1.25M sessions.
Dual VNRs generated 650+ placements and $4M+ in earned media value. Coverage included CNN, NBC News, Politico, and AP.
AARP placements delivered 0.71% CTR — nearly 6× the 0.12% display benchmark — the highest-performing individual placement in the ELDI mix.
Linear Radio (Voices of the Southwest) delivered 988,200 impressions against a planned 405,000 — a 244 delivery index.