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The Overview and Partnership packet from Team IMPACT for our partners working with us on the #VoteReady campaign.
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What Can You Do!Educate • Register • Vote
IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012
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This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 2
Who is Team IMPACT?
IMPACT is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization, founded by a group of young professionals to foster civic engagement, increase knowledge of the political and legislative processes, and enhance economic empowerment opportunities for young professionals ages 21 to 40.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT | POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT | ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT activities enable IMPACT leaders to utilize resources to ensure the preservation and advancement of our communities. Through POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT, IMPACT facilitates and supports the engagement of our peers in politics, policy development, and advocacy. Focusing on ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT provides unique opportunities for IMPACT leaders to accumulate and preserve wealth, while imparting the skills and experiences needed to enable others to do the same.
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 3
Contents
Why #VoteReady? ................................................................... 5
What is #VoteReady? ............................................................... 6
Are you #VoteReady? .............................................................. 7
Social #VoteReady ................................................................... 9
Educate/Register/Vote .............................................................13
#VoteReady Resources ............................................................15
“Since the beginning of 2011, 176 restrictive bills regarding voting laws have been proposed in 41 states
total, and to date, 14 states have already passed restrictive voting laws.”
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 4
Since the beginning of 2011, 176 restrictive bills regarding voting laws have been proposed in 41 states total, and to date, 14 states have already passed restrictive voting laws. Of these, at least 34 states have introduced laws that would require voters to show photo identification in order to vote, and 7 states have already passed and signed into law legislation requiring some form of voter identification legislation.
Before the 2006 elections, no state had voter identification laws, either to register to vote or to vote at the polls on Election Day. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) set standards that were accepted by most states. At least 12 states have introduced laws that would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, to register to vote or to cast a ballot.
Additionally, at least 13 states have introduced bills to end Election Day and same-day voter registration, limit voter registration mobilization efforts, and reduce other registration opportunities.
One of the primary contentions surrounding voting rights is the issue of photo ID laws, which require that those registering to vote or attempting to cast a ballot, present some form of government-issued ID. Photo ID laws, like the ones that have been proposed in at least 34 states,are effective only in preventing individuals from impersonating other voters at the polls. However, the case of voter fraud is extremely rare.
Election officials usually do a very good job of protectiing against Voter disenfranchisement through outdated voting systems, system error, and improper management databases is a far greater problem than traditional forms of election fraud. Voter ID laws are further restrictive because most types of government-issued IDs cost money and time to obtain. For people on a fixed income or those who work multiple jobs, this can raise an undue barrier to obtaining identification, and can thus restrict their right to vote.
Laws that require government-issued identification to vote, not only come at an expense to voters, but they also come at an expense to the state. In many states that require photo ID, the state government incurs the cost of providing the identification to the voters. While 11% of all American citizens lack photo ID, a whopping 25% of African Americans lack photo ID. Moreover, 15% of those earning less than $35,000, 18% of citizens over 65, and 20% of voters ages 18-29 do not have photo ID.
Why #VoteReady?
#VoteReady Objectives:
• to register, re-register, and unpdate the registration of eligible voters 40 and under;• to encourage those who are able to vote early (where applicable);• to encourage those who are unable to physically go to the polls, to register to vote
absentee;• to inform voters about voter ID laws (where applicable); and• to utilize social media and other avenues to build awareness and educate voters.
IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 5
What is #VoteReady?#VoteReady is a campaign spearheaded by IMPACT that will provide individuals with answers to three critical questions:
Am I prepared to vote?
Am I registered to vote?
Where do I cast my vote?
IMPACT’s goal is to prepare, engage, and educate youth as well as young professionals to ensure their voices are heard. They must be equipped and prepared to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. #VoteReady will also educate and engage those who are disproportionately affected by recently enacted voter identification laws.
IMPACT's #VoteReady campaign is designed to ensure voters are able to:
• Check voter registration status;• register to vote;• access early and absentee voting information; • identify polling locations;• engage local boards of election;• access state voting deadlines; and• educate themselves and their community members on vote readiness.
AL, KS, MS, NH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI all passed new voter ID laws in their 2011 or 2012 legislative sessions. #VoteReady
IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 6
Are You #VoteReady?1. Check your Oxygen mask!
• Remember, the flight attendant always says to check your oxygen mask before helping others.
• Ensure that you are registered to vote and aware of any changes to election law in your area.
• Visit www.canivote.org to check your status.
2. Family First!
• Make a list of friends and family that you want to ensure are #VoteReady
• Offer to walk them through the process of checking their registration and reviewing election laws in their area.
• The more eligible voters you ensure are #VoteReady, the more expertise you build, and the easier it will become.
• As you check off names, expand the list to groups in your community, on campus, and elsewhere.
3. Discuss being #VoteReady with someone everyday, and share #VoteReady information with your network through a weekly email or announcement. Check the Resources page below, @TeamIMPACT tweets, and visit www.voteready.org:
• Share important facts about registering to vote and casting a vote in your state.
• Blog about your past voting experiences and why your network should be #VoteReady.
• Update your personal website with voting rights information specific to your state.
• Record videos for your community with commentary on the voting process and instructions on becoming #VoteReady.
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 7
• Use hashtag #VoteReady when you tweet.
• Propose completing a #VoteReady project to your teacher/professor for extra credit.
• Schedule a meeting with your Dean of Students to ensure your campus is #VoteReady.
• Consider voting early so that you you can volunteer as a poll worker to help others be #VoteReady.
4. Host a #VoteReady Event
•Host a tweet-chat or tweet-up with friends or your community to ensure everyone has access to the information needed to be #VoteReady.
• Host a concert or entertainment event that requires individuals to show proof of being #VoteReady to gain admission.
• Partner with campus, community, or religious organizations to host a town hall, forum, or round table discussion designed to ensure your community is #VoteReady.
•Update social media with any voter protection related appearances via local or national television, radio, or print media.
• IMPACT will provide:
i. Written features/pictures from your event to be posted on our website; ii. resources for promoting your event with a twitter chat/sample tweets; iii. sample talking and data points; and
iv. fact sheets and other valuable resources.
Get #VoteReady and vote early (where available) so you can serve as a poll worker and encourage others to vote on election day!
Are You #VoteReady?
IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 8
1. Register to vote at RegisterToVote.org #VoteReady
2. To find out what you need to do to register and vote in 2012, visit canivote.org #VoteReady
3. Voter rolls should include all eligible Americans, are you on your state's roll? canivote.org #VoteReady
4. 11% of all American citizens lack photo ID and 25% of African Americans lack photo IDs. Visit Canivote.org/ #VoteReady
5. States that have cut back on voting rights provide 171 electoral votes in 2012 – 63% of the 270 needed to win the presidency. canivote.org #VoteReady
6. 11% or 21 mil. people may not be able to vote in Nov; 25% of them will be Black, 18% will be elders. Be #VoteReady. canivote.org
7. FL, GA, TN, & WV cut short absentee and early voting periods.myvotemyright.org #VoteReady
8. Ohio shortened the early voting period, removing the ability to vote the weekend before Election Day. myvotemyright.org #VoteReady
9. Fl., IA, KY, & VA now bar or make it more difficult for felons to vote. Visit myvotemyright.org #VoteReady
10. In Tx., a voter can use their gun license to vote but college students can't use their student ID to verify their identity. #VoteReady
11. If you don't know the law in Texas, you can face prosecution for registering voters. Canivote.org #VoteReady
12. We have to exercise our right to vote. myvotemyright.org #VoteReady
13. Check your voter status! Are you registered to vote? Has your name or address changed? canivote.org #VoteReady
14. Registering is step one. Voting is step two. Advocating and ensuring that our communities are informed must happen NOW. myvotemyright.org #VoteReady
Socialize #VoteReady?
Sample Tweets & Facebook Posts
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 9
15. 1.2 mill eligible black voters live more than 10 miles from their nearest ID-issuing office. voteready.org #VoteReady
16. Under a proposed Tx. law, concealed handgun licenses are acceptable forms of ID, but student IDs aren't. voteready.org #VoteReady
17. Ex-Felons can vote too (not in all states) See here: http://bit.ly/OPyNv7 #VoteReady
18. Have you checked your state’s elections site to make sure you are registered to vote? Get #VoteReady!! voteready.org
19. Have you moved? Do you know where your polling place (where to vote) is? Make sure you are #VoteReady! voteready.org
20. @BrennanCenter research shows minorities, elderly, students, the poor are disproportionately impacted by #voterID. #VoteReady voteready.org
21. Ask your local radio stations and media outlets to educate their listeners/viewers/readers. #VoteReady voteready.org
22. With the exception of seniors, the populations most affected by #VoterID laws have the highest adoption and usage rates for social media (Pew Research). Read more HERE!
23. I won't be a victim of a voter ID law THIS election, but if we don't stop it this time, who's to say I won't be next time? #VoteReady
24. Why don't we have a coordinated strategy to make voting easier? #VoteReady voteready.org
25. Tell us what your orgs, churches, SGAs, parties are doing to halt voter suppression! Get #VoteReady! voteready.org
26. 25%of African Americans don't have a valid, government issued ID. Are you #VoteReady? voteready.org
27. Studies show that as many as 11 percent of eligible voters do not have government-issued photo ID. #VoteReady voteready.org
28. @BrennanCenter: Free voter IDs are still burdensome for poor people. #VoteReady voteready.org
29. @BrennanCenter report says that the promise of free #voterid is a mirage. #VoteReady voteready.org
Socialize #VoteReady?
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 10
30. If you are an activist or advocate, are you doing everything you can to make sure your community is #VoteReady? canivote.org
31. If you want to change the world for the better, what have you done to make sure others are #VoteReady? canivote.org
32. Each vote matters. Every single ballot that an individual will cast matters. What will you do to be #VoteReady? canivote.org
33. Voter purging is the practice of getting rid of voters on election rolls. Report any notice that claims you're not registered. #VoteReady http://bit.ly/PFCLCu
34. The most vulnerable to voter purging, robocalls, and many deceptive practices: elderly, disabled, college students, low-income. #VoteReady canivote.org
35. If you are a community servant, have you reached out to members of your community to make sure they are #VoteReady? voteready.org
36. Check out five of the biggest myths about #voterfraud: http://bit.ly/QMuC6l . Get #VoteReady
37. @ACLU: States working hard to solve non-existent voting problem: http://bit.ly/QGi9yW . #VoteReady
38. Do you know what the #voterID laws are in your state? Get #VoteReady: MyVoteMyRight.org
39. Remember, if the right to vote was not important, people would not be working so hard to STOP you from voting! #VoteReady canivote.org
40. A decade ago, there was no evidence of massive voter fraud...there remains little evidence of voter fraud: wapo.st/MGfWUo . #VoteReady
41. You make sure all of your other needs are met but ignore your civic duty to vote? It's 2012 folks! Get #VoteReady! CanIVote.org
42. At stake in this election: jobs, health care, education, the economy, immigration, and women's rights. Make sure you are #VoteReady! canivote.org
43. Have you asked your friends and family yet if they are #VoteReady? voteready.org
44. If you are a student on a college campus, have you reached out in your campus community to make sure that your peers are #VoteReady? voteready.org
Socialize #VoteReady?
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 11
45. If you are a young person, are you registered to vote? Are your friends registered to vote? Get #VoteReady! voteready.org
46. If you are a student, have you looked into running voter registration drives on your campus? Get #VoteReady voteready.org
47. According to Pew Research, a quarter of the African American population uses Twitter. Incredible potential to get them #VoteReady
48. GA has cut early voting by over half from 45 days to 21 days. This creates less opportunities for people to vote. Get #VoteReady. voteready.org
49. In FL, for absentee ballots, if they determine your signature doesn't match what is on record, they can invalidate your vote. #VoteReady canivote.org
50. The time is NOW to stand up for your RIGHT to vote! Get #VoteReady! MyVoteMyRight.org
51. Heard of ALEC? It’s the organization that developed #voterID & stand your ground laws in many states #VoteReady canivote.org
52. In TX, in 32 counties near the border, there are 80k Hispanic eligible voters but only 2 ID-issuing offices open more than two days/week. #VoteReady canivote.org
53. Many citizens find it hard to get gov’t photo IDs, b/c docs like birth certificates are difficult/expensive to come by. Are you #VoteReady? voteready.org
54. AL, KS, MS, NH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI all passed new voter ID laws in their 2011 or 2012 legislative sessions. #VoteReady voteready.org
55. Do you know where your voting precinct is? Get #VoteReady! CanIVote.org
56. Have you checked out where your local Board of Elections office is? Get #VoteReady. voteready.org
57. We all must be educated about the laws and be prepared to operate within them even as lawyers are challenging them. #VoteReady voteready.org
58. Make sure you know what the laws and deadlines are for early & absentee voting in your state. Get #VoteReady. voteready.org
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC.”
Socialize #VoteReady?
IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 12
#VoteReady Education
Key Talking Points
General Talking Points
• Since the beginning of 2011, 176 restrictive bills regarding voting laws have been proposed in 41 states total and to date, and to date, 14 states have already passed restrictive voting laws.
• Before the 2006 elections, no state had voter identification laws, either to register to vote or to vote at the polls on Election Day.
• 11% of all American citizens lack photo ID and 25% of African Americans lack photo ID. Moreover, 15% of those earning less than $35,000, 18% of citizens over 65, and 20% of voters ages 18-29 lack photo ID.
• Block the vote efforts, like restrictive voter ID laws, could impede as many as 5 million people from registering to vote and/or casting a ballot.
• At least 34 states have introduced laws that would require voters to show photo identification in order to vote. At least 12 states have introduced laws that would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, to register to vote or to vote.
• The states that have already cut back on voting rights provide 171 electoral votes in 2012 - 63 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency.
• IMPACT is committed to ensuring all eligible voters are #VoteReady and that no eligible voter is turned away from the ballot box during early voting and on Election Day.
• To ensure you’re vote ready on Election Day, please visit: www.VoteReady.org and follow @TeamIMPACT on Twitter.
At least 34 states have introduced laws that would require voters to show
photo identification in order to vote. Check the map HERE!
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 13
#VoteReady Education
• At least 34 states have introduced laws that would require voters to show photo identification in order to vote. At least 12 states have introduced laws that would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, to register to vote or to vote.
• At least 13 states have introduced bills to end Election Day and same-day voter registration, limit voter registration mobilization efforts, and reduce other registration opportunities.
• Photo ID laws, like the ones that have been proposed in at least 34 states, are effective only in preventing individuals from impersonating other voters at the polls.
• The case of voter fraud is exceptionally rare and election officials usually do a very good job of protecting against fraud.
• Disenfranchisement of voters through antiquated voting systems, system error, and improper management databases is a far bigger problem than traditional forms of election fraud.
• Voter ID laws are further restrictive because most types of government-issued IDs cost money and time to obtain.
• For people on a fixed income or those who work multiple jobs, this can raise an undue barrier to obtaining identification, and can thus restrict their right to vote.
• Laws that require government-issued identification to vote, not only come at an expense to voters, but they also come at an expense to the state.
• In many states that require photo ID, the state government incurs the cost of providing the identification to the voters.
• About 5.3 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of laws that prohibit voting by people with felony convictions. Felony disenfranchisement disproportionately affects African Americans, and particularly African American males, because of racial disparities in the justice system.
• As a result, an estimated 13% of black men are unable to vote.
• Of the 12 likely battleground states, as assessed by an August Los Angeles Times analysis of Gallup polling, five have already cut back on voting rights (and may pass additional restrictive legislation), and two more are currently considering new restrictions.
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 14
#VoteReady Resources
Organizations
• Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/section/category/voting_rights_elections/
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Voting Rights Project: http://www.aclu.org/voting-rights
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law- Voting Rights Project: http://www.lawyerscommittee.org/projects/voting_rights
• The Campaign Legal Center Voting Rights Enforcement Project: http://www.clcblog.org/blog_section-10.html
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): http://www.naacp.org/pages/defending-democracy
• Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division: Voting): http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/
• The Sentencing Project- Felony Disenfranchisement: http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/page.cfm?id=133
• The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: Voting Rights: http://www.civilrights.org/voting-rights/
• AFL-CIO Voters’ Rights: http://www.aflcio.org/Legislation-and-Politics/Voters-Rights
• League of Women Voters’ Education Fund: www.vote411.org
• Project Vote: http://projectvote.org/
• Fair Elections Legal Network: http://www.fairelectionsnetwork.com/
• Advancement Project - Right to Vote, Voter Protection, Felony Re-enfranchisement, Redistricting: http://www.advancementproject.org/our-work/right-to-vote
• Demos - Voting Rights and Voter Registration: http://www.demos.org/issue/voting-rights-voter-registration
• Common Cause - Voting Rights: http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=7742409
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. IMPACT #VoteReady Guide 2012 | 15
www.VoteReady.org · www.IMPACT-dc.com @TeamIMPACT · @VoteReady
This voter education material is nonpartisan and is in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate, political party, or PAC. © design by davida pitts | davidapitts.com
