WASHINGTON – During a visit to Michigan on Friday, Republican hopeful Donald Trump spoke to thousands of his backers as many supporters work behind the scenes on a crucial task for the upcoming election: ensuring their voters head to the polls.

“Winning Michigan means we can win it all just like we did in 2016,” Trump remarked during a jobs-focused speech in Walker, Mich. “But you’ve got to cast your vote!”

Unlike his previous campaign that led to an Electoral College victory in 2016, Trump’s current voter outreach strategy has raised concerns among some Republicans for two primary reasons.

Firstly, the campaign is heavily depending on third-party groups to canvass neighborhoods and encourage voter participation. Secondly, the focus is on “low propensity voters”—those who usually don’t vote—rather than “swing voters” who could play a decisive role in a tight election.

“We plan to contact more voters in the 2024 election than we did in 2020 by the time Election Day arrives on November 5,” stated Trump’s political director, James Blair, during an appearance on “The Sean Spicer Show,” hosted by the former Trump White House press secretary.

“We’re going to have successfully reached more voters than we did four years ago,” Blair added.

Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, facing a popular vote deficit of 81.3 million to 74.2 million. Many Democrats attribute their success to an effective turnout strategy, which included significant focus on early voting and mail-in ballots—approaches that the Trump campaign is also emphasizing this time while competing against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

During his address in Michigan, which countered Harris’ visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump criticized his rival on issues related to immigration, economic strategies, and support for electric vehicles. He also claimed that his advocacy for tariffs has led to threats against his life from individuals in other nations.

Concluding his speech in Walker before heading to an evening event in Warren, a suburb of Detroit, Trump encouraged fans to engage in early voting if possible: “Thank you very much God bless you Get out and vote!”

Democrats have expressed skepticism regarding Trump’s voter outreach efforts, raising doubts about the effectiveness and dedication of external organizations and the overall strategy of engaging low-propensity voters.

“The concept of narrowly targeting people within their circle seems logical, but I doubt they are executing it on a scale necessary to succeed,” remarked Democratic strategist Eddie Vale.

Regarding the use of private organizations for turnout efforts, Vale stated, “Outsourcing these initiatives doesn’t generally yield positive results.” He referenced Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s attempt during his 2024 presidential run, which he characterized as an “epic disaster.”

While some Republicans have privately criticized Trump’s outreach approach, they haven’t made their discontent public. According to a Reuters poll of GOP strategists Nationwide, the focus on typically inactive voters is seen as “a risky, labor-intensive effort that might yield a surge of new votes but could also fall flat if those targeted individuals choose not to vote.”

Officials from Trump’s team assert that their voter mobilization campaign is cutting-edge and will be pivotal in seven key battlegrounds: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.

Cooperating with outside groups is a more efficient and cost-effective option for campaigns, especially following a Federal Election Commission ruling that permits coordination on canvassing initiatives and the sharing of voter information.

The Trump campaign is partnering with political committees from organizations such as Turning Point Action, led by millennial influencer Charlie Kirk; the Faith & Freedom Coalition, led by veteran Christian conservative Ralph Reed; and America PAC, which has backing from billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk.

Michigan is among the tightly contested states that could be swayed by the party that excels in voter outreach efforts.

The Wolverine State was instrumental in Trump’s 2016 election victory; however, the Michigan Republican Party has been undergoing significant challenges.

In the past few years, particularly four years ago, Trump was defeated by Biden in Michigan with a margin of less than 160,000 votes.

When Spicer inquired about the involvement of external organizations in voter turnout efforts, Blair mentioned, “I have varying levels of confidence in different groups, shall we say However, there are methods we can utilize to monitor their activities.”

Political experts pointed out that the actions taken by the Trump campaign are not especially groundbreaking, and ultimately, the effectiveness of these turnout efforts will only be apparent once the votes are tallied in November.

“The outcomes in pivotal states will hinge on whether one campaign has engaged and executed a more skilled ground operation,” stated James Gimpel, a government professor from the University of Maryland who researches voter participation.

Given the importance of the situation, it’s understandable that people express concerns about these kinds of initiatives.

“There’s often a lot of anxiety regarding the effectiveness of ground operations in any close election,” Gimpel remarked. “Mobilizing voters can truly impact the results in battleground states. Naturally, candidates, political parties, and keen observers should be worried.”

He continued, “In this very closely contested race, both political parties ought to be extremely attentive to their ground operations.”