Voting matters: From voter registration to get out the vote

Voting determines who is in power to make policies, laws, and rules that impact our clients, our HCH projects, and ourselves. Despite this, voting continues to have extremely low turnout rates. The national election in 2014 had the lowest voter turnout rate since 1948, with 37% of eligible voters participating. Among those who do turnout, higher-income earners are more likely to vote than lower-income earners. Persons earning $150,000 or higher are twice as likely to vote than persons earning $10,000 or less, and the wealthiest of the wealthy, the top 1%, they are more than three times as likely. Given this fact it is no wonder that federal, state, and local policies often benefit higher-income earners at the expense of everyone else. Voting matters, and it is essential that we take the time to educate our peers, consumers, others, and ourselves in the HCH community on the importance of voting. This workshop will answer frequently asked questions regarding registering people experiencing homelessness to vote, including legal issues and voter rights, how to incorporate voter registration into your clinic’s or program’s operations, how to conduct a successful voter registration campaign, how to conduct a “get out the vote” [GOTV] campaign, and provide an overview of state laws regarding voter registration including deadlines, residency, and identification requirements.