DECK THE HOLIDAYS VOTER REGISTRATION TOOLKIT

‘Tis the season of holiday parties, festive gatherings, and service activities. These are perfect opportunities to have meaningful conversations about getting those around you registered and ready to vote. Does your workplace host an office holiday party? Are you involved in a service activity? Are you attending a friend’s holiday celebration or sharing the holidays with your family?

YOU are the best person to help those around you register to vote, and that’s why we’re asking you to help register voters and start a conversation around civic engagement at holiday events this season!

This toolkit includes a planning guide, dos and don’ts, and other resources to make it as easy as possible for you to help friends and family register to vote. We’ve also created a When We All Vote holiday postcard for you to bring with you wherever you go: whether it’s church, a company party, family gathering, or a gift swap with friends. The postcard includes a QR code on the back to access When We All Vote’s online voter registration portal.

To get started, tell your friend or family member to open their smartphone’s camera and point it at the QR code.

Get your 10-pack of When We All Vote holiday postcards and stickers at store.WhenWeAllVote.org or download and print the postcard to get started right now at weall.vote/holidaypostcard

GOALSYour holiday voter registration activation should have the following goals in mind:

• Have conversations with your loved ones about why voting matters in your community.

• Provide access to When We All Vote’s online registration tool and voter resources so people are empowered to register themselves to vote.

• Practice helping others register themselves to vote with people who you know.

MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED

THIS TOOLKIT

WHEN WE ALL VOTE HOLIDAY POSTCARD

STICKERS!

PHONE, TABLET, OR COMPUTER

GETTING STARTED

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STEP 1: CHOOSE AN EVENT Consider your office holiday party, community turkey drive, or a family gathering. There are so many events and gatherings already happening during the holiday that it’s easiest to plug in to an event that’s already planned! Talk to the event host or organizer. Assure them that you are acting in a nonpartisan manner and simply want to help others get registered to vote.

STEP 2: LOCK IN LOGISTICS Registering voters is always more fun with friends! Consider recruiting a few people to join you in your effort to help register voters. Is there an event host that you can connect with to plan? If this is an office party, ask your boss or supervisor if you can set up a station at the party or make brief remarks to tell everyone you can help them get registered.

STEP 3: GET PREPARED Make sure you are clear about how you will engage attendees at the event. Will you distribute When We All Vote holiday postcards? Make an announcement? Set up a registration station at the event or in your workplace?

Bookmark weall.vote/mysquadvotes for quick access on your phone, tablet, or laptop. When We All Vote prepared special holiday cards to support your activities, which you can download at weall.vote/holidaypostcard — or you can get us to ship you 10-pack postcards and stickers: Check out store.WhenWeAllVote.org to purchase a holiday kit. With these cards, you can ask folks to take a picture of the QR code with their smartphone camera which will send them right to where they can start filling in their information to get registered.

STEP 4: HAVE A CONVERSATION Registering to vote can be an intimidating process to some, so we’re starting by having conversations with people we already know! Be sure to root these conversations in genuine connection. Ask questions and listen to the answer. Experiment and figure out what works best for you.

“I’m already registered” is a common response but there’s followup:

• “Are you registered at your current address?” “Have you moved since last registering?”

• “You can check your registration status at whenweallvote.org/check-registration to make sure.”

If they are registered, great! If not, always a good idea to get them started by using the QR code on the postcard or heading to weall.vote/mysquadvotes.

Here are a few additional talking points:• Voting is your power, it is a great way to elect people that align with your own personal view.

• Let your voice be heard. Your voice and your vote matter.

• This isn’t just about voting for President; it’s also about the state and local elections that affect our schools, roads, and so much more in our community.

• When We All Vote is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that is on a mission to increase participation in every election by changing the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.

STEP 5: STAY ON MESSAGE You’re not telling them who to vote for, which political party to support, or suggesting that they vote for or against particular policy issues. You’re helping people gain access to participate in our democracy. It’s a positive way to celebrate civic engagement and build long-lasting relationships within your community.

MAKE A PLAN

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Every state has different rules regarding voter registration and voter registration drives. Some states, for example, limit to what extent a person can directly assist another person with the registration process. So it’s important that what you are doing is focused on directing people toward the resources they need to make sure they are registered to vote and that their voter registration information is accurate. If you have additional questions, check out our voting resources at whenweallvote.org/voting-resources or visit your state’s secretary of state website.

With that in mind, here are some general dos and don’ts:

Ask participants to use their own smartphone, tablet, or computer.

You can lend the participant your smartphone, tablet, or computer to use if the participant does not have one available.

Direct participants to weall.vote/mysquadvotes where they can register themselves to vote.

Send people to their Secretary of State’s website for any questions.

Check your state’s Secretary of State’s website for voter registration deadlines.

Always treat all participants equally if they are interested in registering to vote.

Have fun!

X Don’t ever assist participants in filling out or completing their voter registration form.X Don’t fill out any part of the form for them.X Don’t hit the submit button for them.X Don’t print forms for them.X Don’t use paper forms — following Rock the Vote’s online process helps keep you on the

right side of state laws.X Don’t take a paper form from anyone and offer to mail it or deliver it for them.X Don’t offer anything of value in exchange for asking people to register. That includes buttons,

food, stickers or anything that would imply an incentive to register to vote.X Don’t try to answer voter registration questions yourself — do send people to your state’s

Secretary of State’s website.X Don’t decline to lend your device to any participant or decline to direct any participant

to whenweallvote.org based on their political party preference or any other factor.

DO

DON’T

VOTER REGISTRATION BEST PRACTICES

QUESTIONS?Join our Volunteer Facebook group to get support: facebook.com/groups/whenweallvote.Please reach out if you have questions to: volunteers@whenweallvote.org.

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