How to get people to register to vote
July 4, 2018 2:58 PM Subscribe
I am new-ish voter registration agent. That means that, in my state, I am qualified to help people register to vote. I am interested in any tips about getting other people to register.
Please let me know if you have experience with this, and any advice on good times, dates or places. I am considering going door to door, or hanging out by the library or specialty food stores. I think I can get a list of addresses without registered voters.
I am a precinct chair for the Dems and live in a purple area of my city. My precinct is mostly apartments. I did set up camp one evening to register voters at my apartment complex, and had the complex publicize this, but no one showed up.
I’d rather register people who are more left than right.
I am mainly thinking of what I might do on my own. But if you have advice about organized drives, that could be helpful, too.
Please let me know if you have experience with this, and any advice on good times, dates or places. I am considering going door to door, or hanging out by the library or specialty food stores. I think I can get a list of addresses without registered voters.
I am a precinct chair for the Dems and live in a purple area of my city. My precinct is mostly apartments. I did set up camp one evening to register voters at my apartment complex, and had the complex publicize this, but no one showed up.
I’d rather register people who are more left than right.
I am mainly thinking of what I might do on my own. But if you have advice about organized drives, that could be helpful, too.
Can you hook up with a local org? I’m signed up with a League of Woman Voters and our local Unitarian Church; they post events where they need registrars. Not sure what rules are in your area, here in IL, you can’t have your station within a certain distance of where alcohol is being consumed, so that scratches some events. Maybe advertise on any hyper local boards like Everyblock? Contact nursing homes and VAs, libraries and schools?
posted by jacy at 3:47 PM on July 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by jacy at 3:47 PM on July 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Best answer: * Figure out what populations are currently underserved in your area. Chances are it will be the homeless, ex-felons, teens who think they are too young to vote, and immigrants who are unsure about the documentation needed.
* Once you have your target population, you can probably figure out where to find them. Get teens at high schools or music festivals, for instance. If you can get a school to let you in to the classroom, you have a captive audience.
* Be very clear on the rules that affect that population. For teens, have a script ready for when they say "I'm too young." For the homeless, find out what they need for residency purposes and a list of resources if needed. For example, this might be a list of shelters in your area that provide P.O. Boxes.
* Prepare any handouts that might help you remember those rules or explain them to others!
* While you're at it, I would also contact the folks who are in charge of voter registration in your area. They might already have relevant pamphlets or handouts, or know exactly where to find the folk you are looking for, or find someone who speaks Spanish for you to team up with. They might also have the list of unregistered addresses or general areas they want to target already.
* Since you mention that you are involved with the Democratic party, I would research rules regarding how much politics you are allowed to talk when registering people to vote. When I receive my voter registration training, they are always clear on this.
* It looks like you are in New Mexico which I think has online voter registration. If you are going to go that route, have a laptop or ipad and have them do it right there in front of you so that you can help verify the correctness of what they are doing. It's hard to promise that they will do it later on their own if you point them to it. In fact, think of it like a sale and do what you can to "close" then and there. If they don't have their driver's license on them then and there and need the number, see if the can call someone to get it.
* Remember that registering people to vote is only one part of getting someone to actually go to the polls. Plan accordingly. Do you have resources for people to find out WHEN and WHERE they vote? If they need certain identification, how do they get it? (Spread the Vote helps with this; they are not in your area, but it might be helpful to someone else reading this post.) What do they need to bring to the polls? If they need an absentee ballot, how do they get one? Who/what do they vote for--is there a LWV guide that you can provide them?
posted by tofu_crouton at 4:09 PM on July 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
* Once you have your target population, you can probably figure out where to find them. Get teens at high schools or music festivals, for instance. If you can get a school to let you in to the classroom, you have a captive audience.
* Be very clear on the rules that affect that population. For teens, have a script ready for when they say "I'm too young." For the homeless, find out what they need for residency purposes and a list of resources if needed. For example, this might be a list of shelters in your area that provide P.O. Boxes.
* Prepare any handouts that might help you remember those rules or explain them to others!
* While you're at it, I would also contact the folks who are in charge of voter registration in your area. They might already have relevant pamphlets or handouts, or know exactly where to find the folk you are looking for, or find someone who speaks Spanish for you to team up with. They might also have the list of unregistered addresses or general areas they want to target already.
* Since you mention that you are involved with the Democratic party, I would research rules regarding how much politics you are allowed to talk when registering people to vote. When I receive my voter registration training, they are always clear on this.
* It looks like you are in New Mexico which I think has online voter registration. If you are going to go that route, have a laptop or ipad and have them do it right there in front of you so that you can help verify the correctness of what they are doing. It's hard to promise that they will do it later on their own if you point them to it. In fact, think of it like a sale and do what you can to "close" then and there. If they don't have their driver's license on them then and there and need the number, see if the can call someone to get it.
* Remember that registering people to vote is only one part of getting someone to actually go to the polls. Plan accordingly. Do you have resources for people to find out WHEN and WHERE they vote? If they need certain identification, how do they get it? (Spread the Vote helps with this; they are not in your area, but it might be helpful to someone else reading this post.) What do they need to bring to the polls? If they need an absentee ballot, how do they get one? Who/what do they vote for--is there a LWV guide that you can provide them?
posted by tofu_crouton at 4:09 PM on July 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
One addition: I would look for groups that provide rides to the polls and add them to your resource kit.
posted by tofu_crouton at 4:11 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tofu_crouton at 4:11 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks. These are all helpful. I forgot to mention that I am especially interested in registering people in my precinct. So let me know if you have any ideas specific to working in a neighborhood.
posted by maurreen at 4:39 PM on July 4, 2018
posted by maurreen at 4:39 PM on July 4, 2018
The local League of Women Voters does a lot of voter registration. I've seen them at my local UU church and at events with a lot of foot traffic. Once I got a free tee-shirt because I showed them my voter I.D. card - it's a silly thing but the kind of thing that attracts people to the table. Working with your local LVW would probably help - they should have already done a lot of the legwork and you won't be starting from scratch, and you'll have access to more resources and - I'd think - support and insight on how to best approach your precinct.
I don't think you can really focus on registering folks for a particular party - I've never had anyone ask me what party I was registering for or anything - though it's true that at a UU church or a pro-immigration rally folks are more likely to be democrats than not. Though where I live some liberals register as republicans so they can vote in the republican primaries.
posted by bunderful at 4:42 PM on July 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't think you can really focus on registering folks for a particular party - I've never had anyone ask me what party I was registering for or anything - though it's true that at a UU church or a pro-immigration rally folks are more likely to be democrats than not. Though where I live some liberals register as republicans so they can vote in the republican primaries.
posted by bunderful at 4:42 PM on July 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I would focus on populations that are likely not to be registered. These include:
1. young people
2. renters, or anyone else who is likely to have moved recently
3. Latinos and Asian-Americans, and to a lesser extent African-Americans
So if you're going to go door-to-door, I would focus on neighborhoods with a lot of renters and where many residents are young and/or people of color. If you're going to go somewhere to register people, go to places where young people and/or people of color are likely to be.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:56 PM on July 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
1. young people
2. renters, or anyone else who is likely to have moved recently
3. Latinos and Asian-Americans, and to a lesser extent African-Americans
So if you're going to go door-to-door, I would focus on neighborhoods with a lot of renters and where many residents are young and/or people of color. If you're going to go somewhere to register people, go to places where young people and/or people of color are likely to be.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:56 PM on July 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best practice is to go where the (potential) voters are. Food pantries and door-to-door are very effective. Whatever you do, don’t sit behind a table. Carry a clipboard and work the line. I lead a group doing voter ID outreach in Wisconsin, which overlaps a lot with registration. I look at turnout numbers by ward and we knock every door in the wards we’re targeting. Even if the voter file says there’s someone registered at an address, you need to knock. You don’t know if there’s a new tenant, if their roommate is registered, if someone is recently eligible, etc.
posted by juliapangolin at 5:14 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by juliapangolin at 5:14 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oh, and if you’re looking to work in a school or food pantry or whatever, you’re probably going to need to register everyone, regardless of party. Our local Indivisible chapter had a heck of a time trying to get into the local high schools, but the League has no problem.
posted by juliapangolin at 5:17 PM on July 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by juliapangolin at 5:17 PM on July 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
One more comment, then I’ll quit:
-Headcount is a group that registers folks at concerts. If you like live music, you should try to hook up with them
- Make sure you have reasonable expectations. If I register a half-dozen people in a 3-hour canvass, I’ve had a huge day.
posted by juliapangolin at 5:20 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
-Headcount is a group that registers folks at concerts. If you like live music, you should try to hook up with them
- Make sure you have reasonable expectations. If I register a half-dozen people in a 3-hour canvass, I’ve had a huge day.
posted by juliapangolin at 5:20 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Ideas specific to neighborhoods: Where are the polling places in your neighborhood? If you agree to hold a nonpartisan voter registration in which you don't talk politics and willingly register everyone who stops by and is eligible, will they let you set up your voter registration table out front? It will be extra helpful to be able to say to people you register, "if you live here, then this is exactly where you come back on Nov 6 to vote. Will you put a calendar reminder to yourself in your phone right now?"
More ideas: is there any sort of festival in or near your neighborhood? Do the places of worship do big events where they invite the community? You could ask permission to table.
What grocery store do most people in your neighborhood go to? Is there an ethnic grocery store in the neighborhood? See if you can get permission to table there on a Saturday morning.
Once you know where and when you'll be tabling, you can input the dates in Eventbrite, or if you have a free weekly newspaper, see if they'll let you advertise open-to-the-public voter registration events for free.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 6:18 PM on July 4, 2018
More ideas: is there any sort of festival in or near your neighborhood? Do the places of worship do big events where they invite the community? You could ask permission to table.
What grocery store do most people in your neighborhood go to? Is there an ethnic grocery store in the neighborhood? See if you can get permission to table there on a Saturday morning.
Once you know where and when you'll be tabling, you can input the dates in Eventbrite, or if you have a free weekly newspaper, see if they'll let you advertise open-to-the-public voter registration events for free.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 6:18 PM on July 4, 2018
Lots of great thoughts on where. One piece of advice on what to say...
Most people don't want to be called out about not being registered to vote, so instead of saying "Do you need to register to vote?" you might want to say something like, "Do you need to update your voter registration?" that way you're not inadvertently making people feel like a "bad citizen" for not being registered.
As someone who does this a lot (and will be doing it this Friday), I will also say you need to be very outgoing. People aren't going to come up to you to register to vote. You'll have to be cheerful and invite people to come to you. Walk around if you're at an event. Don't sit behind a table, stand. Have some flags and stickers.
Make sure you have info on how former felons can get their rights restored, how people can get an absentee ballot, what they can do if they are homeless.
Thanks for doing this!!!
posted by brookeb at 9:30 PM on July 4, 2018 [8 favorites]
Most people don't want to be called out about not being registered to vote, so instead of saying "Do you need to register to vote?" you might want to say something like, "Do you need to update your voter registration?" that way you're not inadvertently making people feel like a "bad citizen" for not being registered.
As someone who does this a lot (and will be doing it this Friday), I will also say you need to be very outgoing. People aren't going to come up to you to register to vote. You'll have to be cheerful and invite people to come to you. Walk around if you're at an event. Don't sit behind a table, stand. Have some flags and stickers.
Make sure you have info on how former felons can get their rights restored, how people can get an absentee ballot, what they can do if they are homeless.
Thanks for doing this!!!
posted by brookeb at 9:30 PM on July 4, 2018 [8 favorites]
Some states are purging voters who don't vote often enough. Can you get that list of purged people and reregister them?
posted by Toddles at 10:57 PM on July 4, 2018
posted by Toddles at 10:57 PM on July 4, 2018
It is not unusual for states/counties to purge people who do not vote in national elections. This has been the case in several states where I have lived, and is done to prevent the unscrupulous from voting for dead people.
Many years ago, I got a bunch of forms from the county clerk and registered voters at an Indian reservation. I am white and female; I was warned that my reception would be chilly, but this was not the case.
posted by Cranberry at 11:47 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Many years ago, I got a bunch of forms from the county clerk and registered voters at an Indian reservation. I am white and female; I was warned that my reception would be chilly, but this was not the case.
posted by Cranberry at 11:47 PM on July 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
* Talk to political folks in your area. Get any stats on close local races. A few years ago, the city council seat was decided by 18 votes, and luckily, we got Chris B., who launched the Safe Housing initiative. Your vote really does matter.
* Is there a convenience store? Can you get permission to reg there? Use an ironing board - lightweight, cheap, takes seconds to set it up, at a comfortable height for filling out the form.
* Know the rules.
* If someone says they can't vote, they may have been convicted, so don't press.
* The League of Women Voters, town, and/or others may have a fact sheet about who can/ can't vote and what is required at polling places. Get copies, pass them out.
* If there's online registration, make up a bunch of slips, maybe 9 to a page, easy to take, not too easy to lose, with the URL of the registration page and a reminder to vote. An appropriate cartoon might make it appealing.
* If ID is required at the polling place, tell people, along with any other rules.
Thank you for doing this.
posted by theora55 at 8:53 AM on July 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
* Is there a convenience store? Can you get permission to reg there? Use an ironing board - lightweight, cheap, takes seconds to set it up, at a comfortable height for filling out the form.
* Know the rules.
* If someone says they can't vote, they may have been convicted, so don't press.
* The League of Women Voters, town, and/or others may have a fact sheet about who can/ can't vote and what is required at polling places. Get copies, pass them out.
* If there's online registration, make up a bunch of slips, maybe 9 to a page, easy to take, not too easy to lose, with the URL of the registration page and a reminder to vote. An appropriate cartoon might make it appealing.
* If ID is required at the polling place, tell people, along with any other rules.
Thank you for doing this.
posted by theora55 at 8:53 AM on July 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the tips.
For the sake of clarity, I have no intention of refusing to register anyone (such as based on party, etc.), or to even try to persuade people to pick my party. I meant only that I'd prefer to be where the potential registrants are more likely to be on the left.
posted by maurreen at 10:10 PM on July 7, 2018
For the sake of clarity, I have no intention of refusing to register anyone (such as based on party, etc.), or to even try to persuade people to pick my party. I meant only that I'd prefer to be where the potential registrants are more likely to be on the left.
posted by maurreen at 10:10 PM on July 7, 2018
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If you "freelance" at food stores or other locations, you may run into difficulties with people not having the necessary proof of identification and residency available on their person.
posted by DrGail at 3:34 PM on July 4, 2018 [5 favorites]