Voter Registration & Engagement at New York s Community Health Centers

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1 Voter Registration & Engagement at New York s Community Health Centers

2 Why do voter registration at health centers? When patients are registered to vote at health centers AND sign-up to receive health center legislative updates, we empower our communities to make informed voting decisions that directly affect your health center. Community health centers have over 17 million patients nationwide including more than 1.1 million across New York State. Many of the communities we serve are underrepresented in public life. Health care providers maintain long-term and trusting relationships. A message about the importance of voter and civic engagement coming from a trusted community source is likely to elicit action. Voting improves people s lives! That s right. People who vote are more likely to invest in their community, volunteer, obey laws and advocate for issues that matter to them. Power for your health center and clout for your community. Elected officials know which communities turn out to vote and if your health center is engaging voters, elected officials will take notice and will likely respond better to your advocacy efforts. By tracking voter registration at health centers, health centers can demonstrate to candidates and elected officials that we have a voice and are engaged.

3 Agenda for Today c3s: Being Nonpartisan 2. Voter Registration 3. Voter Education 4. Voting 5. Making A Plan

4 One Rule to Remember May Not Support or Oppose a Candidate for Public Office

5 501c3 Dos and Don ts DO Voter Registration Voter Education Distribute Sample Ballots, Guides Co-sponsor Candidate Forums Educate the Candidates Remind People to Vote Help on Election Day: DON T Endorse a candidate for office Give resources to candidates Rate candidates on your issue Tell people how to vote Recruit Poll Workers Support or Oppose Ballot Questions

6 What is Nonpartisan Voter Engagement?

7 Step 1:Voter Registration Basic Principles Voting is the Key Combine with Other Activity! Updating Important as New Near the Deadline Best

8 Voter Registration Form

9 Step 2: Voter Education Issues & Candidates At Regular Activities Using Your Issue Sample Ballots Candidate Forums

10 Step 2: Voter Education On How to Vote Voting By Mail Paper Ballots Special Circumstances - Ex-offenders - Disability - Language - 17 year olds

11 Absentee Ballot Application

12 Step 3: Voting 4 Reasons People Vote Have a Reason to Vote Have Personal contact from family, friend, nonprofit It s Easy and Accessible A habit learned from family and community

13 Step 4: Make A Plan

14 Integrate voter registration into your Health Center s ongoing activities Designate a staff person at each site to serve as coordinator of your Health Center s voter registration activities. They will coordinate outreach to clients in waiting areas, ensure that voter registration applications are always available, forward completed forms to the appropriate officials, and maintain a voter registration tally/report sheet; Ask every patient at intake if he/she would like to register to vote; provide a voter registration application, a declination form, and a voting fact sheet; Ask staff, volunteers, and board members if they would like to register to vote during meetings; Register voters at community events, especially during National Health Center Week - August 10-16, 2008.

15 Implementing a Voter Reg Program 1. Put up posters in the waiting room to let patients know that voter registration forms are available. 2. Register AND Educate: Have advocacy sign up forms available with voter registration forms. 3. Provide envelopes or boxes for voter registration and advocacy forms to be dropped into upon completion. 4. Completed Voter Registration forms should be sent to: New York State Board of Elections Deadlines in New York State: To Vote in the Primary: Must be postmarked no later than August 15th, To Vote in the General Election: Must be postmarked no later than October 10, BEFORE YOU TURN IN VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS: Track the number of voter registration forms completed at your health center and make copies of each one before they are turned in

16 New York State Eligibility Requirements To be eligible to vote in New York, you must be: A U.S. citizen 18 years old by the date of the general election A resident of your present address for at least 30 days before the election Not in jail or on parole for a felony conviction Not claiming the right to vote elsewhere

17 What ID is Required to Register to Vote in NY? To register to vote you must have either a verifiable New York State driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not have either of these, and you are registering for the first time by mail, you may provide a copy of one of the following and mail it in with your voter registration form: A valid photo ID A current utility bill A bank statement A government check Some other government documentation that shows your name and address

18 ID for First Time Voters If you are a new voter who is registering by mail, you will be required to show identification when you go to vote for the first time. If you are already registered at the board of elections or a state agency, you should not have to show identification at the polls. It is advisable for all new voters to bring identification when voting for the first time. Acceptable IDs to vote are: Passport Government ID card Military ID card Student ID card Public housing ID card Any ID specified by HAVA and New York State law as acceptable Utility bill Bank statement Paycheck Government check (Social Security, tax refund, military paycheck or paycheck stub) Other government documents with your name and address including but not limited to: voter registration card, hunting, fishing, or trapping license or firearm permit.

19 Why Track Forms? 1. To track your health center s success! 2. So New York s health centers can present data to candidates and elected officials demonstrating that our patients have a voice and are engaged. 3. By making copies of the voter registration forms, post-election data may be compiled comparing patient registrations to the actual Voter Roll (people who voted on Election Day). This data will reveal if doing voter registration at New York health centers actually increased voter turnout. * Copying voter registration forms in New York is legal and tracking voter participation will be the ONLY purpose for which any of this information will be used.

20 Useful Resources Request New York State Voter Registration Forms to be sent to your health center from the New York State Board of Elections by calling or download and print forms from their website: Do s and Don ts of Non-Profit Voter Registration - visit these great web resources: Non-Profit Voter Engagement Network NACHC s Community Health Vote

21 Contact Info Marc Wetherhorn NACHC Community Health Vote