Live Voice vs. Digital: Winning the Battle for Voter ID, Persuasion, and GOTV in ’26
Live voice just may be the most underrated voter contact tool for campaigns facing a media environment that’s saturated with ads and messaging in the 2026 election cycle. That was the case three voter contact veterans made in an online discussion hosted by Campaigns & Elections on Tuesday.
Shaun Thompson, president of Tele-Town Hall, Brian Stach, the firm’s SVP of sales; and Chris Hayler, president of Stones Phones tackled the question of live voice vs. digital and how campaigns can use live phones effectively for persuasion and GOTV this year.
Stach described the current digital ad market this way: lots of campaigns are going after the same targets with voters absorbing more and more ads each day, which inevitably leads to more of those targets having to tune out the online noise. Meanwhile, Hayler said his firm is reaching 65 to 70 percent of targets by rotating caller IDs and dial times, while Thompson walked through the mechanics that keep live calls landing.
The discussion focused on both timing and tactics, including how strategists coordinate data between phone and digital teams, and where late money is spent most effectively. You can watch the full conversation above.
