Voter Registration 101

2019 - Washington Student Association

The Youth Vote in Washington State

• 7% of 18-24 year olds voted in the 2015 general election
• Compared to 22% of the total voting age population
• 35% of 18-24 year olds voted in the 2016 general election
• Compared to 60% of the total voting age population

Why vote this year? - Campuses Please Update this slide to reflect local races this is for Nov 2018

• Midterms Elections!
• All House of Representatives and 35 out of 100 Senators are up for election!
• Statewide: All House of Representatives and 25 State Senators
• Local city council and mayoral races
• School boards, county supervisors etc.
• Lower the voting age average for youth!

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New Laws for the 2019 election and beyond!

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• AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION (AVR): AVR is a simple, modern, and secure way to keep your registration up to date. Eligible Washingtonians can now register to vote or update an existing registration automatically at any Department of Licensing office when you get an Enhanced Driver's License. Registration via AVR is open until eight days before an election.
• SAME DAY REGISTRATION: With Same-Day Registration, eligible Washingtonians can register to vote and submit their ballot on the same day. This new change eliminates unnecessary deadlines so more voters can participate. You can register via Same Day Registration in person at your county auditor’s office (find your auditor here) or at any voting center in King County (find the closest voting center here). Same-Day Registration is available until 8 pm on Election Day.
• PRE-REGISTRATION FOR 16 AND 17-YEAR-OLDS: Eligible 16 and 17-year-olds in Washington can now pre-register to vote! After submitting a simple form, pre-registrants’ voter registration status will automatically become active when they turn 18. Pre-Registration is available year-round on the Secretary of State’s online portal; in person at voting centers, county auditors’ offices, and with volunteers; and at any Department of Licensing office.

Why organize on college campuses?

• Campuses are hubs for young people.
• Meeting young people where they’re at.
• Students move a lot--need to update VR a lot.
• Reducing barriers to political participation
• Consistent access on campus, in between classes, announcements
• Most students are finally 18!
• It’s fun!

Question: What makes registering students difficult?

Barriers to Successful Campus Voter Registration:

• Students are on the move!
• Fast timeline - Deadline is October 8th (29 days before election) Quarter schools only have three fulls weeks to register students
• No volunteer base
• Lack of communication with admin and county auditors
• Volunteer burnout
• The Rain!
• No time for fun!

Logistics: Anatomy of a VR Form

• Need to know:
• Name
• Address
• DOB
• ID # or last 4 of SSN
• Signature
• That’s it!

Extra info & common questions

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• In Washington State, people with felonies can vote!
• They can register as long as they’ve been “off paper” (no longer under jurisdiction of the DOC) for 1 year
• Most people don’t know this. You will make someone’s day.
• People experiencing homelessness can register
• For permanent address, it’s fine to put down a street corner, i.e. “12th and Jackson”
• They must write in parentheses (“homeless”)
• For mailing address, they can use the address of a shelter that accepts mail, like the Orion Center (which accepts mail for anyone in their programs), or a friend’s home
• Most shelters/agencies will accept mail for people receiving their services
• People under 18 can register
• As long as they will be 18 by the next general election! That’s November 7 2017.
• Must be a U.S. citizen to vote
• But never directly ask people to disclose their citizenship status

Field formulas

Canvassing/ Tabling / Events: 4-5- Voter Registrations per volunteer per hour

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Equation : ( X volunteers + X hours tabling) X 4 Voter Registrations = Total # of Voter Registrations

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Example:: (4 volunteers + 2 hours tabling) X 4 Voter Reg per volunteer per hour = 24 registrations total

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NOTE: This metric changes according to the experience of the volunteer, location, culture of campus, date, etc. If you have data from 2012, use past data to estimate your metrics for events and canvassing.

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Class Raps and Group Presentations: 10- 15% of class raps or presentations will return forms

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Equation: # of students in the class X 0. 15 = # of registrations

Example: 50 students in the class X 0.15 = 7 Voter Registrations

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Door Knocking: 20 doors per hour, 15% return rate for VR forms

Equation: X average class size X 0.15 = # of VR forms

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Managing VR Forms and Data Entry

• Your office will be responsible for turning VR forms to your local elections office.
• Set up a meeting with your local county office to inform them of your drive. They will assign you VR form and a number usually (i.e your campus association gets form #1000-1400)
• Turn form in within five days to the county office!
• Boost voter turnout by running a Get Out the Vote campaign and inputting data!

Basics of campus VR

• Build a team!
• Build relationships.
• Make commitments.
• Recruit volunteers.

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Developing Relationships!

• Reach out to students groups on campus - build in buy in beyond only student government
• Reach out to orientation leaders and welcome week coordinators
• Campus administration (housing, government affairs, community outreach etc.) can be barriers or allies
• Initiate contact with relevant campus administration
• Contact your local county elections officer for VR forms and other resources
• The SOS office can also volunteer staff to events with enough advance
• Avoid transactional relationships
• You can use utilize relationships in the future for other events or staff

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Make Commitments

• Make commitments to yourself
• Make commitments to your staff
• Make commitments to administration and county officials
• Follow up on your own tasks
• Meet deadlines

You can’t do this alone!

Building a Team!

• Start early! Hit orientation events!
• Target 1st years and transfer
• Fliers and posters always work!
• Create a database and keep track!
• Get your entire AS involved!
• Use VR as outreach too!
• “Great, thanks you registering! Would you like to help us register “x” amount more students?”

Retaining Volunteers!

• Make your volunteers care about Vote!
• Avoid transactional relationships, get to know them
• Make phone calls and texts more than emails
• Hold recurring onboarding trainings
• Set time for fun!
• Encourage them to bring one friend or housemate!
• Assign reasonable shifts

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Basics of campus VR

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• Set goals
• Set ‘em high
• # of VR
• # of GOTV contacts
• # of volunteers
• # of events

Basics of Campus VR

• Strategize.
• How to institutionalize voter reg on campus
• Make a power map
• Think long-term

Basics of Campus VR

• Record your data.
• Track your results.
• Turn in VR within 5 business days
• Scan VR forms
• Don’t lose VR forms!

Lean on WSA & The Bus

We’re here to help! Always down to come visit.