Voter Education

by Richard Brown on September 15, 2008

September 21-27, 2008 is National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week

On the Streets They Can Ignore You
At the Polls They Cannot
REGISTER and VOTE!

Deadline to register is October 10th

Isn’t it ironic that the person who decides the fate of 300,000 homeless children gets to live in a mansion?

The New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness has made this effort a priority. As another organization dedicated to homeless empowerment and economic justice, we hope you will join us in this effort. With your support, we are confident we can reach more individuals not yet registered to vote.

Since equal access to the right to vote is a crucial part of maintaining a true democracy, nonprofits and service agencies nationwide will dedicate the National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week as well as events prior to an after, towards registering homeless and low-income individuals to vote. For those unable to conduct voter registration drives, the week can also be used to educate community members on the upcoming general election.

The National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition are coordinating National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week on September 21-27, 2008.

Four events planned in NJ; Its not too late to plan an event

Four events have been scheduled and more are being planned. There is still time to schedule one!

September 12th - Volunteers of America Delaware Valley began a fifteen day voter registration campaign. For more information click here. will be holding a voter registration event.

September 25th - Bergen County is in the process of planning an event. For more information or to become involved click here.

September 26th - Passaic County is in the process of planning an event. For more information or to become involved click here.

October 7th - Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton will be holding an event in Committee Room 4 at the State House Annex. For more information or to become involved click here.

Incorporating Voter Registration into the Intake Process

One easy way to register people to vote on a regular basis is to do so during the intake process - when a client first comes to your organization and is already filling out forms or providing necessary information to receive services.

This is one of the suggestions made in the online manual prepared by the national sponsors of National Homeless and Low Income Registration Week being coordinated by the New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness. Click here to read this important manual.

While the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)-better known as the “Motor Voter” law-allows people to register to vote at drivers’ license and welfare offices, many people still may not have access to these offices to register to vote. For this reason, the NVRA encourages “all nongovernmental entities” to register their clients. This includes homeless shelters, drop-in centers, food pantries, soup kitchens, day care centers, child welfare agencies, and community health centers.

To get all of the details click here.

Voter Education Materials

To access and print voter registration forms online click here.

The national organizations planning this event have published a guide to how to do voter registration drives. Click here to read this important manual.

Click here for a poster about the importance of voter registration.

For information on the eligibility of those with criminal records click here.

For a voting rights manual click here.

To read all of our posts on voter registration click here.

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