Kathleen Gorr
NYS Public Policy Director
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.
Some information to have available
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 2010 - The deadlines for voter registration this year are:
- Primary elections August 20, 2010 (the elections are on September 14)
- General elections October 8, 2010 (election on November 2)
- Absentee ballots for the general election - The application must be mailed to your county board of elections not later than the 7th day before election day, or delivered to the board not later than the day before election day. The ballot itself must either be delivered to the board of elections no later than the close of polls on the day of election, or postmarked by a governmental postal service not later than the day before election and received no later than the 7th day after election.
- More deadline information from NYS Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/law/2010OfficialPoliticalCalendar.pdf
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. |
