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Planning a Voter Registration Drive
Obtaining
the Voter Registration Form for Your State
The first step in participating in the democratic process is to
register yourself and fellow citizens to vote. The Federal Election
Committee’s application walks citizens through the registration
process in most states. You may obtain this document on the Federal
Election Committee website or by contacting your
local elections office. You can also register online, by clicking
the banner below.
Click Here to Register to Vote
Although you
may already be registered, you should review you state’s
registration rules and regulations, the voter registration form,
and websites, so that you may assist those who may not be aware
of the process. This will prepare you for developing a successful
voter education campaign.
Contact
Your Local Elections Office
Planning is an important step of a successful voter registration
drive. Your local county elections office can assist you with
this phase by providing you with the materials you need to get
started, as well as advice about successful registration techniques.
Do
Your Homework
After consulting with the elections office and obtaining the appropriate
resources, you will need to do some homework. While it is possible
to simply take voter registration forms to any street corner and
distribute them, it is worth it to approach your registration
drive more carefully.
Gather
Some Data
How many persons in your target jurisdiction are 18 or older?
This information is available from various census publications.
Congressional district information can be found in the Congressional
District Atlas, while county and city information can be obtained
in the General Population Characteristics publication, which is
usually available at any local library. These and other publications
can also be ordered from:
The Superintendent
of Documents
US Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402
Of the total
voting age population, how many are registered to vote? How many
are not registered? Why, in your best judgment, are those people
not registered to vote? Who are they and where are they? Who do
you want to register? Answering these questions will help you
define the scope of your voter registration drive and the resources
you will need to meet you goals. It may also indicate the most
effective strategy for developing a successful drive.
Targeting
You should rank each precinct in your jurisdiction according to
the level of voter registration. Those precincts or other areas
with a very high percentage of registered voters may not result
in many new registrations. Areas where the percentage is much
lower offer greater opportunities for registration.
It is possible
to identify households that do not have registered voters in those
precincts or areas you have identified. This can be done by comparing
the registration lists for a given area with what is known as
a “reverse directory,” which can be ordered through
your local telephone company. Check the registration list against
the directory. Any address that is in the directory, but is not
on the registration lists, represents a household with no registered
voters. You can also use this method to target households in your
selected precincts which have only one registered voter.
| Plan
Ahead for Follow-up
In addition
to registering voters, it’s important to think about
the most effective contact methods for getting them to the
polls.
According
to research from the Brookings Institute, direct mail campaigns
typically increase voter turnout by only .5%; phone-banking
usually increases voter turnout by 0-3%. Face-to-face
canvassing generally raises voter turnout by 7-12% and is
habit forming: there can be up to a 32% carry over to the
next election. |
Ideas
for Voter Registration Drives
Shopping
Centers
Shopping Centers, malls, supermarkets, and other centers of commercial
activity are often good sites for voter registration efforts.
An advantage of conducting your drive at these locations is the
ability to contact large numbers of citizens in a short time.
A disadvantage is that of those people you contact, many will
already be registered to vote. To conduct a voter registration
drive at one or more shopping centers, it is a good idea to contact
the manager and obtain a copy of the rules and regulations.
Public/Private
Partnerships
The private sector can assist in voter registration. In many cases,
it is good public relations for businesses to promote public service
projects such as voter registration. There are several ways this
partnership can be successful.
Private
Funding of Public Projects
State and local governments are often unable to allocate sufficient
resources for large-scale voter registration campaigns. There
have been several cases in which the private sector has stepped
in to assist in such efforts; for example, providing local toll-free
voter registration telephone lines, complete with telephones,
telephone answering equipment, staff, and space.
Newspaper
Advertisements
Partnership with the private sector for voter registration drives
is most effective when participating businesses receive public
recognition for their efforts. You could solicit local businesses
to sponsor a full-page advertisement in local newspapers. The
advertisement might say, in very large letters, “These local
businesses urge you to register to vote,” followed by a
listing of the sponsoring organizations, as well as information
on how to register.
Major
Employees
Most communities have businesses that employ substantial numbers
of people. It may be possible to arrange with these large businesses
to conduct an employee voter registration drive on site during
the noon hour or during a break or shift change.
What
is legally permissible?
A nonprofit organization may organize and/or participate in voter
registration, education, and Get Out the Vote activities without
jeopardizing their tax exempt status, provided the effort is nonpartisan.
Nonpartisan means that the activity or program is not influenced
by, affiliated with, or supportive of the interests or policies
of any one political party, candidate, or referendum. Efforts
must focus solely on educating members about the importance of
voting, without bias for or against any candidate or party.
Remember
when conducting voter registration drives…
• Be courteous, civil, and cordial when registering people
to vote.
• Be enthusiastic during the registration, but not overly
assertive.
• Do not infringe upon the public’s right to refuse
to register to vote.
• Do not be coercive.
• Do not offer incentives.
• Be creative and develop a clear plan of action.
• When representing yourself as a Peace Action member, do
not support or endorse a particular candidate or campaign during
the registration drive.
These ideas
are from Physicians
for Social Responsibility’s “Planning
a Voter Registration Drive". Additional information from
National
Voice.
1100
Wayne Ave. Ste 1020, Silver Spring MD 20910 (301) 565-4050 www.Peace-Action.org
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