Voter Education
Someone once said, "Bad public officials are not elected by people who vote, they are elected by people who don't vote." Inadequate voter education is one of the main reasons why most people, including Latinos, do not vote, thereby contributing, albeit inadvertently, to the election of bad public officials.
When a person registers to vote, it doesn't mean that he/she automatically knows when or where or how to vote. (By "how to vote" we mean the mechanics of casting a vote, i.e., punch card, optical scan, touchscreen, etc.) And because some voters don't know when, where, or how to vote, too many choose not to cast their vote on election day. Every voter registration campaign should be prepared to compile a database of newly registered voters, including the name, street address, city, state, zip code, and, whenever possible, a telephone number for the voter education phase that will follow.
The Need for Informed Registered Voters
Despite the record-high number (7.8 million) of Hispanics that voted in the 2004 presidential election, there were still nearly three million Hispanics who were registered to vote but did not vote for several reasons and some excuses. A survey by the U.S. Bureau of the Census of Hispanic registered voters who did not vote in the November 2000 presidential election, which was decided by less than 1,000 votes out of over 100 million votes cast, found that 35% had not voted because they were too busy or forgot, 22% did not vote due to illness, disability, or the lack of transportation, 21% did not vote because they did not like the candidates, and 10% did not vote because they encountered problems with their registrations or said that the day of the election and the hours for voting were inconvenient.
An informative nonpartisan voter education campaign should follow every voter registration campaign and include the following:
- The names and phone numbers of local, state or national resources that can assist newly registered voters with basic information about the day of the election, polling place locations, the hours polling places are open, where to get voting information in Spanish, and what type of identification is needed;
- what kind of voter assistance is available at the polls; and
- what kind of voting system is used;
- how to request an absentee ballot; and
- where to call for transportation. This vital voter education information can be disseminated in person, by phone, by mail, and possibly even by email, or some combination thereof.
Getting Results
Studies have found that there is at least a 50—50 chance that a newly registered voter will vote in the next election on his/her own. In other words, they will find out the day of the election, their polling place location, the hours for voting, what kind of identification is required, etc. However, the same studies have also found that a newly registered voter is even more likely to vote than 50—50 if contacted at least once by phone, and even more likely to vote if contacted by phone and by mail, and almost certain to vote if contacted by phone, by mail, and in person.
There is no acceptable reason why three million Hispanic registered voters should fail to vote simply because they were too busy or forgot. This can be prevented by a phone call or a post card to remind them that election day is coming. Early voting is now allowed in many states for anyone who may feel that they will be too busy on election day. No reason needs to given to be allowed to vote early, which normally starts 22 days prior to the date of the election and continues for a period of 15 days. People whose disabilities may prevent them from voting on election day should be encouraged to take advantage of absentee voting. And those who may need transportation to the polls on election day should make those arrangements well before the day of the election. All of these problems can be addressed and resolved through an effective voter education information campaign prior to the election.
