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Dear Readers,
As this issue goes to print, Election Day 2016 is less than two months away, and we must stress the importance of this year’s elections. This fall we will face a major presidential election and elections for 34 senators, 12 governors, and the entire House of Representatives, as well as hundreds of state and local offices. Also this year, voters in 8 states – California, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Virginia – will weigh in on ballot measures related to affordable housing.
As November 8 approaches, it is our responsibility to be prepared to make informed decisions at the ballot box, and to empower our friends and neighbors to do the same. We hope that this special Voterization issue of Tenant Talk will give you the tools and resources you need to do just that.
What is Voterization? It’s a term that refers to the broad range of activities designed to increase voter turnout. Three pieces of voterization include:
- REGISTRATION — Increasing the number of renters and allies who can legally vote
- EDUCATION — Providing voters with information about candidates’ positions on housing issues and any housing-related ballot measures they will decide on
- MOBILIZATION — Getting Out the Vote!
Voting matters. Our voices matter. It is our civic duty to participate and make informed decisions on Election Day, but it is just as crucial that we not rest easy after November 8. We must vote people into office who understand the severity of America’s affordable housing crisis and who will respond positively when we raise our voices to address this concern. None of our recent victories – from national Housing Trust Fund and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing implementation, to H.R. 3700 passage and the temporary relief from the federal budget sequester – would have been possible without electing leaders concerned about housing issues into office.
When we organize, stand together, and raise our voices, elected officials listen. We must call on Congress and the new president to address the housing crisis through solutions like restored funding for all HUD and USDA housing programs lost over decades of federal disinvestment. We must insist that Congress and the president also address the housing crisis through legislation and regulation in areas such as a permanent Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act and increased funding for the national Housing Trust Fund. None of this can be accomplished without continuous advocacy before, during, and after election campaigns.
For information on voter registration, education and mobilization in your community, please contact any of the organizers on the Field Team at the National Low Income Housing Coalition by emailing [email protected].
Onward,
Tenant Talk Editorial Board
- Delorise Calhoun
- Daisy Franklin
- Matt Gerard
- Deidre “DeeDee” Gilmore
- Martha Weatherspoon
- Michael Steele