Voter Registration Training for group leaders and organizers - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Voter Registration Training for group leaders and organizers

Slide2

Why We Are Here!

Slide3

Responsibility Lies with Us

In the US voter registration is voluntary

The responsibility to register lies with the individual citizen, not with the government

This has led to registration inequality

Slide4

Registration Inequality

Slide5

Southeast, Pa Registration Inequality

Emerging Electoral Majority – Minorities, Youth

Emerging Majority Youth – Young Minority Women

Young

Renters

Move Frequently

Slide6

We Can Close the Gap

Slide7

Voter registration is a core part of our organizing work!

Slide8

Registered Voters Participate

Registered voters are our

f

riends, family, and neighbors

Newly registered voters are highly

l

ikely to vote

Newly registered voters are school and community

g

roup involved and active participants in the community

Newly registered voters are more likely to talk about politics with family and friends

Slide9

Registering voters helps us build our

o

rganization

People are more likely to vote and register if they see voting as being connected to issues that they care about and people they care about.

Once we register new voters we need to follow up with volunteer and member recruitment to build our teams.

Slide10

STEP 1: Knowing the Laws - Pennsylvania Voter Registration Laws

Slide11

PA Laws and Eligibility

To register to vote in Pennsylvania, you must be:

A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which you want to register and vote for at least 30 days before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

At least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

To be eligible to vote in Primary elections in Pennsylvania, you must be:

You must be registered and enrolled in a political party to vote in that party's primary.

There are no voting restrictions based on mental restrictions

Full voting rights are restored upon release from prison per felony convictions

Slide12

ID

Requirements

To register individuals must provide a Pennsylvania driver’s license number or the last four digits of their social security number. If they have neither of those they will be required to bring additional means of identification the first time that they go to vote.

Slide13

Laws for Solicitors

We can not deny anyone the right to register to register to vote.

We must turn any voter registrations that we collect in to the county board of elections within 30 days of obtaining them.

We can

not help

the individual fill out the

form and

we must identify on the form that we assisted in the process of them registering if we do

Slide14

Types of Voter Registration

Slide15

Key considerations when thinking about where you should register voters:

Who is going to be there?

We need to register people who are not already registered, and re-register voters who may have recently moved or changed their addresses.

We want to meet unregistered voters where they are!

Are we going to be able to register a lot of people?

We need to identify events and locations that will allow us to maximize our time.

Hotspots

:

Places with large crowds are often our best bet for registering a large number of people

Ex: Fairs, festivals, other area events

Places with long lines are even better, because people are willing to talk to you when they are standing in line with little else to do.

Door to door

:

In select neighborhoods, door to door voter registration is also an appropriate tactic

People are already at a location and most likely to pay attention to our message

Slide16

Breakout:

Brainstorm voter registration opportunities in our community!

Lets take the next

5 minutes

to brainstorm voter registration opportunities in our community.

Use the voter registration planning guide to map out a few locations and events in your community where you will conduct voter registration activities

Slide17

Solicitation: Making the Ask

Slide18

Solicitation: Key Considerations

When registering voters in a crowd you have

5 seconds or less to get their attention and make the ask

Every crowd is different and our approach should be tailored in language, content, and attitude towards the crowd that we are working.

There are only two things that are the same with every crowd:

eye contact and smile!

Slide19

Key pieces of the hard ask:

Build Urgency

– give context. How many days are left? Why do they have to register now? Why is it important?Bad: “Registering to vote is important.”

Good: “There are only three days left to register, and we/x candidate is counting on you to vote.”

Use

strong language –

be loud, clear, and cleaver with your ask. Try not to give people an out.

Bad: “Would you possibly maybe someday be interested in registering to vote.”

Bad: “Do you want to register?”

Good: “I need you to update your registration or sign a supporter card.”

Good: “Have you moved in the last year? Yes, great, you need to update your registration every time you move. You can do that with me today.”

Good: “Let me register you to vote, right now

.”

Slide20

Be specific –

specificity increases the chance of a positive response and limits the chance of NO.

Bad: “This election is coming up sometime this Fall, it would be a good idea for you to register.”Good: “You need to register to vote before October 1st – let’s get it done right now.”

Be

persistent –

keep asking, every person, every time you see them.

It takes a while to build trust in some communities.

Some people need to be asked many times before they will say yes.

Key pieces of the hard ask:

Slide21

How to Ask:

The 5 Cs

C

onnect – Establish rapport and trust

C

ontext – Explain the importance of registering to vote

C

ommit – Get a solid commitment to register

C

atapult – Get them invested in our effort

C

onfirm – Remind them of their commitment

Making the ask, simplified:

Slide22

Breakout:

Role Play – Making the Ask!

Please break in to

groups of 2

and take the next

5 minutes

to practice your voter registration ask

Use the sample script provided for reference

Slide23

Always remember to

congratulate

the newly registered voter after they are registered!

Slide24

Voter Registration Information

Once you have your location and ask down, the final thing to remember is that people in the community will be counting on you to be a quality source of information about voter registration. You will have to do this in concise, polite, validated way.

Know the rules –

People

may ask

you many questions –

study before going out.

If you do not know an answer, take their info and get back to them. Put it in writing –

Have a voter

information

sheet/FAQs

that you can carry with you, so that people can read the rules themselves. You should also be prepared to direct people to the Secretary of State so that they can do their own research. H

aving

resources in a variety of languages will help to empower those with limited English proficiency to know the rules and get registered

.

Slide25

Voter Registration Information, Cont.

Have validators –

Build trust in

your communities by working

with trusted community

leaders.

If you are hanging out with the

county party committee member in your area, or local elected official, or prominent community member like a barber or church leader you have a lot more credibility in the community than if you just walk in as a stranger. Make sure that you engage the local leaders in your efforts as much as possible

.

Be polite –

Registering to vote can be a challenge for individuals who have limited English proficiency, a hard time reading, disabilities, or other personal challenges. It can also be intimidating for people who have made mistakes in the past. Registering to vote should be an empowering experience, so learn to notice subtle clues and respond to them in polite and supportive ways. NEVER ask someone if they are registered to vote, ask if you can help them “update” their voter registration information.

Slide26

Logistics of Voter Registration

Slide27

The Voter Registration Form

Required parts of the form:

Name

First Name

Last Name

Eligibility

Citizen?

18 before

EDay

?

Reason for Registering

New

Reg

Address Change

Party Change

About You

Date of Birth

Address

Identification

Penn Drivers License

Last 4 of SS Number

If they don’t have ID or know the last 4 of their SS number they will need to bring additional ID with them on Election Day

Party

This is optional and while we can’t push a party we can explain that to vote in the primary you have to be enrolled in a party

Sign and Date!

TIP:

Highlight these fields on the form prior to doing voter

reg

to make it as easy as possible for new voters to register and so we don’t miss key information.

Slide28

The Clipboard

Materials to consider:

Contract

To be signed and returned before leaving the staging location

Script

Voter

Reg

FormsPledge To Vote Sheet or CardVoter Registration Laws and FAQs Sheet

Note: Samples are provided for reference

Slide29

Voter Registration

Management Plan and Programs

Slide30

Voter Registration Management Plan and Programs

Create a data

processing plan How

will data be collected from registration forms, will data be entered directly into

votebuilder

or a spreadsheet for follow-up and volunteer recruitment?

Your database should capture the information from each form that corresponds with the areas of the form that are required to be filled out as well as any and all contact info for the newly registered individual

What

are internal norms as it comes to returning forms

?

i.e

We will always return forms within the week they’re

collected.

Training Program

for

volunteers

?

What

training will be necessary

?

I.E. Intro training, data management training, executing your own events

training

Note: Use the voter registration planning guide to outline your voter registration program management program

Consider appointing a

voter registration captain

to take on these critical program management responsibilities

Slide31

Sample Agenda for Intro Volunteer Training

Below is the sample agenda for a voter registration training that you may consider with your volunteers before they head out to do voter registration shifts

Sample agenda

:

Welcome and intros – share reason for getting involved in this action (5min)

Context

for voter

reg actions – why we are here? (5min)Review PA voter

reg

laws for voters and solicitors (5min)

Review voter

reg

form – key pieces that need to be filled out (5min)

Review voter

reg

materials and the

clipboard (5min)

Review and role play making the ask

(10min)

Review

turning in and management of materials post

shift (5min)

Every volunteer should be trained before they go out and training should be conducted before every action

– no exceptions!

Slide32

NEXT STEPS:

Planning your own voter registration event!

Slide33

Voter Registration Check List

:

Have you…Found and secured a location to meet

Decided on enough voter registration sites for all of the volunteers that you will have?

Conducted a “test run” to see if the sites will be useful? (if possible)

Made a plan for volunteer recruitment

Recruited volunteers

Arranged to get your materials Ex

: VR cards, scripts, pledge sheets, FAQs, AB Apps, CTV

sheet/cards

, Sign-in sheets, lit, turfs (if door to door), clip boards, pens, highlighters, stickers

Made directions from your

staging

location to your voter registration sites

Slide34

Questions?

Feel free to reach out

with any questions