By Kellie Morris
The right to vote is said to be one of the cornerstones of the American way of life and a privilege, but many forego the opportunity each election day. Even after taking the time to register to vote, as is a requirement in all states except North Dakota, the actual number of votes cast is not equal to the number of people registered. So what happens to our voters beyond registration?
The issue of the non-voter in America has been studied by professors and political scientists. Christopher Federico at the University of Minnesota, who is quoted in a CNBC.com article, says that “people who are less trusting of their fellow citizens…government officials…are less likely to vote.” While the reasons vary, the American government is a representative democracy. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.” Many organizations help with getting people registered to vote. One may encounter members of sororities, fraternities, or the NAACP at community events offering to register people to vote which is an essential piece of the puzzle. People can even register to vote at the public library. An equally important task is getting out the vote! In Cuyahoga County, the Board of Elections reported 872,776 registered voters for the May 3 primary election, with 163,961 or 18.7% of ballots cast. GOTV campaigns provide an impactful solution.
A GOTV campaign is a select group of activities planned to help voters to vote by mail, vote early, or go to the polls. Some activities as noted in The All-in-one Guide for Get Out the Vote (GOTV) by Sindhu Prabhu include direct mail, online campaigns, phone banking, text messaging, door-to-door canvasing, and print materials. Most often, the GOTV strategy is used by a campaign to get their candidate elected but can be equally informative in educating the populace that an election cycle is occurring. Since every community does not have elections every election day, voters may not know that an issue is on the ballot or the dates for special elections. Non-profit organizations can be impactful in these situations.
The Urban League of Greater Cleveland posted on Instagram an informative message providing pertinent election information for Cuyahoga County voters for the August 2022 election. The YWCA of Cleveland also utilized the online platform to join in the advocacy campaign to inform voters of the 2022 election details. The Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates (NOVA) are also planning to use the GOTV strategy to increase voter turnout for the November 2022 election. “Your vote counts the most in local elections,” said Meredith Hellmer, board president. She stated that their volunteers will be trained to help voters “make a plan to vote.” The idea of making a plan to vote is critical to actually voting. Elements of a plan include transportation options like “Souls to the Polls, Vessels Vote, etc.” It also includes completing a vote by mail application and knowing how much postage to include when mailing a ballot. Hellmer additionally stated, “Work, child care, and transportation can affect voter turnout. We encourage vote by mail as much as possible.” Volunteers plan to use phone banking and text messaging to contact people they met during the registration encounter of their GOTV activities planned for October 2022. For more information about the advocacy of NOVA, please email [email protected]. NOVA partners with institutions like Cleveland State University and MetroHealth Hospital to register voters. These types of partnerships attest to how the greater community recognizes the importance of voting.
Even in the corporate business community, employers are considering the importance of having employees who vote according to a white paper on CapitalCanary.com titled GOTV for Corporations. According to the article, Americans trust their employers “as a reliable source of information.” While traditionally talking about politics at work is discouraged, it would be interesting to know if more people voted when their employers provided print materials. The options are open, but the desired outcome is defined as government by consent of the governed. NBC is advocating for voters with recent commercials for www.NBC/Plan Your Vote, a campaign to encourage voter participation.
