How to Join Voter Registration Efforts

Join voter registration efforts to help your neighbors participate in federal, state, and local elections.

Why this recipe matters

In the United States, one in four eligible citizens is not registered to vote, with potential reasons including complicated registration processes, restrictive voting laws, and confusing information about voting eligibility.

Ingredients

• Knowledge of voter registration laws and deadlines in your state 
• Volunteer listings on idealist.org
• Rock the Vote’s Voter Registration Status tool
• Nonprofit Vote's Checklist for Nonpartisan Voter Activities

Recipe

1. Educate yourself on voter registration requirements in your state.

• Each state has different requirements regarding voter registration. Vote.gov can direct you to your state’s election website for important information about eligibility criteria, required documents, deadlines, and any specific rules or restrictions about voting that you can share with your community.

2. Seek out volunteer opportunities.

• Nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations like Rock the Vote, Headcount, and VoteRiders rely on volunteers to help eligible voters register for upcoming elections.
• Search voter registration volunteer opportunities on idealist.org.
• Start small by walking around your neighborhood and asking neighbors if they need assistance with voter registration.

3. Utilize effective outreach strategies.

• If you’re participating in a formal volunteer opportunity, voter registration groups will likely host training sessions about engagement tactics.
• Consider phone banking, textbanks, direct mail, literature drops, and hosting voter registration clinics at community centers, libraries, or schools.

4. Gather relevant materials.

• Print handouts of voter registration forms, share links to your state’s voter registration website, and provide information on absentee or early voting, if applicable.
• Create flyers with information about what eligible voters need in order to register to vote in your state. Common requirements include a completed voter registration application, driver's license number, residential address, and/or the last four digits of a Social Security number.

5. Start registering people to vote.

• Approach people in your community respectfully to inform them about their right to vote in upcoming elections, and be prepared to assist individuals through the registration process. 
• Take advantage of the opportunity to hear different perspectives from people in your community, and remember to maintain nonpartisanship by avoiding the promotion of any specific party or candidate.

Nutritional Information

How this recipe has nurtured a community

“I live in a college town where there are a lot of students from different parts of the country with different voter registration requirements, and they sometimes don’t know how the process works. It’s been very meaningful for me to engage with first-time voters and help people check their voter registration status so that they’re prepared for upcoming elections.”

— Oana G., Connecticut

Finishing Touch

Around 95% of all elected offices in the United States are at the local level, with fewer candidates running for these positions each year. If you’re interested in taking a more active approach in your community, consider running for local office.

Contact your state and local election office for more information on what requirements you need to run. The Good Party shares a comprehensive, nonpartisan guide to running for local office, which includes information about local office elections, campaign regulations, and engagement tactics.