To cast your ballot during election season, it’s important that you are registered to vote at your current address. Because voters need to re-register when they move to new homes, and renters move more frequently than homeowners, renters are less likely to be registered to vote. The disparity is even greater between low-income and high-income citizens.
Registering voters in your community is a powerful way to close the voter registration gap and make sure that residents’ voices are heard in elections. Here are some tips for effective voter registration efforts:
Set goals. Define who you want to register, and how many people you hope to register. How will you choose which voters to target? Will you target young voters who recently became eligible to vote? How will you identify new residents who just moved into the building? Will you partner with residents in other buildings and launch a broader registration effort in your neighborhood? Request the voter rolls for your community, so you will know who in your community is already registered. Voter lists may cost a small fee, but they are essential to track who is registered and who should be the target of your outreach.
Familiarize yourself with voter registration rules. Your local Board of Elections or County Clerk can offer a wealth of information for your voter registration efforts. You will want to check in with them to learn the registration deadline for the general election in your state. Ask whether anyone can register voters in your state, or whether a person must first become authorized to register voters or meet other requirements. Learn about identification requirements for registration and voting. You can partner with organizations like Voteriders or Spread the Vote if any community members need to resolve voter ID issues before registering. Explore whether online voter registration is an option – this might allow your voter registration drive to be done on tablets or smartphones. Request enough voter registration forms to meet your registration goals, and make sure you have materials available in multiple languages if members of your community primarily speak languages other than English.
Offer registration trainings. Residents who plan to register voters will benefit from receiving training on the process. You may want to bring in someone from the local Board of Elections or County Clerk’s office who can explain the state’s registration requirements and how voter registration forms must be filled out, whether online or on paper. It is also helpful to practice voter registration updates for renters who have recently moved.
Organize a door-to-door campaign. Resident leaders can volunteer to receive training and serve as “building captains” or “floor captains.” Captains take on responsibility for registering, keeping registration records, and then turning out to vote all the people in their building or on their floor. As a resident, you are a trusted messenger who can answer your neighbors’ questions and get them excited to vote! Be sure that captains keep well-organized records of all the voters they register so that they can reach out again and help them make a voting plan.
Integrate voter registration into events and activities. Hold social events, like block parties, at which residents are encouraged to register to vote. Consider hosting an event for National Voter Registration Day on September 20, 2022. Ensure that events are accessible to families by making the events kid-friendly or providing childcare. To boost attendance, offer food so that residents will not need to plan their meal schedules around the event.
Positive messaging matters. Many residents may not be registered to vote because they feel that elected officials do not have their interests in mind. Research shows that positive messages can help voters overcome their detachment to the voting process. Connect an individual’s personal experience to the democratic process and the potential for social change. Be prepared to share reminders of very close elections where a small number of voters determined the difference. If someone is frustrated with the political process, you might tell them that you share the same concern, which is why you are registering voters to elect new leaders.
Explain what’s at stake. If you are organizing in public housing or registering low-income renters in subsidized properties, you should encourage them to protect their housing program by voting. Remind them that it’s important to vote for leaders who will maintain or increase the budget for subsidized housing programs so they can make needed repairs and increase the number of community members who have access to affordable housing.
Of course, registration is just the first step. To elect politicians who will prioritize housing solutions, renters need to get out the vote! Many renters, however, face logistical challenges that prevent them from getting to the polls on Election Day. Less-flexible work schedules, more difficulty obtaining legal identification, mobility challenges, and exposure to misinformation campaigns can all combine to suppress voter turnout in low-income communities.
Here are tips for mobilizing renters during election season and overcoming obstacles to voting:
- Encourage vote-by-mail and early voting. Rather than turning out the vote all on one day, encourage voters to request mail-in ballots. Check your state’s laws to determine which voters are eligible to vote by mail. Keep a list of mail-in voters in your network and contact them at least 10 days before Election Day to be sure that ballots are being put in the mail in time to be counted. If your community allows it, it can be effective to allow volunteers to collect and deliver the ballots themselves. In states where it is available, encourage early voting, which offers more opportunities for people with inflexible schedules or limited transportation options. Consider participating in Vote Early Day (October 28), which educates voters about early voting options and builds enthusiasm for early voting.
Ask voters to make a plan. Contact voters in the days leading up to Election Day to ask them how and when they plan to vote, and how they plan on getting to their polling place. Asking voters to express this plan allows organizers to verify their polling location details and work through transportation obstacles.
Educate voters on what to bring with them. Make sure people know what is and is not acceptable voter identification in your community. Share information about what to bring to the polls in your voter mobilization efforts leading up to Election Day.
Provide childcare on Election Day. Consider recruiting volunteers to provide childcare for residents who need flexibility to get to polls and cast their ballot.
Provide rides to and from polling locations. Recruit volunteers with cars, or perhaps fundraise to rent vans for Election Day, so that residents with limited transportation options can cast their ballots.
Become a polling location. Resident leaders may work with building managers to connect with their local Board of Elections to begin the process of becoming a polling location. Voting will be more accessible to renters if they can vote in the community rooms of their buildings.
Organize group voting. Many voters are more likely to make it to the polls if they are joined by their neighbors. Resident councils and other peer organizing efforts should consider selecting times when groups of residents can walk or ride to the polls together, making it a community activity. People are more likely to vote when there are others expecting them to do so.