CommunityVotes, a New York state-based non-profit that provides support to community-based service organizations to help them engage citizens who traditionally do not exercise their right to vote, released the results of its voter turnout efforts in 2017.
CommunityVotes supported seven nonprofit partners that engaged over 4,300 voters. Of those, 685 pledged to vote and 421 registered to vote. The organizations involved used a combination of tactics including sending postcards, making phone calls and conducting thousands of in-person conversations. The effort turned out voters at 13% higher rates than comparable voters in the primary election and at 10% higher rates for the general election.
The CommunityVotes example makes clear that voter engagement works. As nonprofit organizations make their voter engagement plans, NLIHC’s nonpartisan voter and candidate engagement project, Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020, has a range of resources and tools available to support registration and mobilization of low-income renters. Also be sure to check out our webinar and podcast series for more tactics, strategies and resources.