Low-wage, infrequent voters can swing the election. Here’s how to win them over.

We are days away from Election Day, and polls are showing a tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. One of the most important voting blocs that could make the difference is often one of the most overlooked: low-wage, infrequent voters. 

Low-wage, infrequent voters tend to be younger, non-college educated and nonwhite. These are the cashiers at your local grocery store, the retail associate ringing you up at Walmart, the food service worker making your lunch, the Amazon associate shipping your package, and everyone in between. They often feel disillusioned with the political process, and who could blame them?  

As co-executive director for the workers’ rights non-profit United for Respect, I advocate for these voters, the people working at some of the country’s most profitable retail corporations, including Amazon and Walmart. As part of our Vote for Respect civic engagement program, we partnered with Data for Progress to better understand their outlook, priorities, and voting plans this year. While most election polls target “likely voters” with a consistent voting history, we reached out to infrequent voters in two of the most important swing states—Georgia and Michigan.

A majority of respondents in both states agreed that the US economy generally favors wealthy individuals and corporations over working and middle class Americans. When asked, these voters overwhelmingly related to the statement, “The government couldn’t care less about people like me.”

Despite that, we learned that these voters are highly motivated to vote, and messages that come directly from other working class Americans and focus on cost of living concerns and empowering workers are the most resonant with this group. 79 percent of respondents in Georgia and 80 percent of respondents in Michigan indicated that they “definitely will vote” in the upcoming election. In Georgia, 51 percent of respondents said they are supporting Kamala Harris over 42 percent for Donald Trump, and in Michigan 48 percent  support Harris over 43 percent for Trump. 

What factors are at play as these voters make their choice? In both states, respondents strongly indicated they are considering the economy, cost of living, and inflation the most when deciding who to support. Notably, issues like threats to democracy, abortion, and immigration are less top of mind for these voters. In Georgia, voters were considering the economy, cost of living, and inflation by +35 points over threats to democracy and by +37 points over abortion. In Michigan, respondents chose the economy, cost of living, and inflation by +28 points over abortion and by +27 points over threats to democracy and immigration.

The results fall in line with similar testing we conducted in 2022 of surge voters in Georgia. The polling confirmed that economic issues — particularly inflation — were their top concern, beating out abortion. We found that reframing inflation as corporate “price gouging” was particularly successful, and recommended that progressive candidates prioritize an anti-corporate agenda that connects high prices with broader themes of corporate greed. John Fetterman’s use of “Greed-flation” is perhaps the best example of how this tack helped Democrats secure the only Senate pick up of 2022. 

Ultimately, messages that most explicitly address kitchen table concerns do best with these voters. They want a candidate who puts working-class issues and the cost of living front and center, and while the Democratic platform has the policies that would deliver on this front, Republicans are gaining ground in convincing working class voters that they’ll fight for the little guy — despite their tax cuts that favor the wealthiest and plan to undermine workers’ rights as outlined in Project 2025.

But the Harris campaign appears ready to reach these voters. More than 70 percent of respondents in both Georgia and Michigan support Congress prohibiting price gouging on essentials like groceries. Harris’ proposed price-gouging ban shows that her campaign may have the finger on the pulse when it comes to connecting with them. By leaning into this policy, and policies like it, Harris could increase her edge among these voters.

For our part, the poll was another step in our ongoing effort to mobilize over 2 million low-wage voters in key battleground states. With a race this close, every vote counts. From Michigan to Georgia to Texas to North Carolina, we are hitting the ground, knocking on doors, and deploying a digital advertising campaign to encourage voter participation by leaning into economic issues and messaging that activates this key voting bloc. 

While these voters may not believe that the government works for them, we can help ensure they use their voice to elect a candidate who will.