Nancy Mion & Judith McGinn
NYS Public Policy Directors
Voter registration is a great high-impact, low effort program!
Pick a venue, pick up the forms,
and have volunteers help to register voters. It's that simple.
Goal
The goal of any voter registration program is to register voters.
Many people have either never registered, moved and not reregistered
or aren't regular voters–they may no longer be registered.
To make your program as successful as possible, set a goal of registering
a certain number of voters. Make it reasonable – but ambitious.
Venue
Any place where there is a high volume of pedestrian traffic is
a great place for voter registration:
- malls
- banks
- local libraries
- fairs/festivals
- college dorms
Leave forms with your local Board of Education to register families
new to the area or distribute forms in apartment complexes or trailer
parks where other voter registration efforts may not be focused.
Work with local high schools to register seniors eligible to vote
in the fall.
This is also a membership opportunity, so make sure to have membership
information available. If your branch has a banner or poster stating
who you are, don't forget to use it.
It is also an opportunity to build a relationship with area colleges
and universities. Work with nonpartisan political groups on campus
or student life.
Timeframe
Anytime from mid Summer through early Fall would work well. Consider
having voter registration forms available at all branch programs
in addition to setting up one or two days "off site" as
dedicated voter registration programs.
Deadlines for 2007 - The deadlines for voter registration this year are:
- Primary elections August 17, 2007
- General elections October 12, 2007
Contact your local
Board of Elections if you have any questions. They are happy
to work with you.
If you need additional voter registration programming ideas contact
the NYS Public Policy Director. |
