AP Photo/LM Otero
Feeling helpless ahead of the November election? There are multiple ways to get involved in the effort to get people to the polls. Your work could help your family, friends, or even strangers decide to go to the polls and have their voices heard. Here are some opportunities to consider.
Host a ballot party
There is more than just a president to vote for, your ballots may include school board members, legislature races, propositions, and for all of Texas, a US Senate race. Invite some friends over and preview your November ballots together. Make researching the candidates fun with group discussions about policy, track record, and how their vision correlates with the improvements you want to see in your quality of life. Make worksheets, create a themed cocktail, and get down to business.
Volunteer with a political party
Parties have offices and efforts around voter participation year-round. These include events calendars that rely on volunteers to do things like set up events, make phone calls, pass out literature, or knock on doors. They also might want to tap into your special abilities. Do you speak other languages? Are you an attorney? Do you know how to design graphics or edit video? For example, the Texas Democrats have a form you can fill out if you’re interested in volunteering.
Work the Polls
Working the polls is a great way to ensure elections stay free and fair. There has been dire need for poll workers over the years, and, as voting periods expand with early voting and mail-in ballots, there’s an even greater need for workers to ensure polling locations stay open and there are enough people to process ballots. Learn more about what this opportunity looks like in Texas.
Support voter awareness organization
There is a long list of organizations that focus on voting rights and get-out-the-vote efforts. It helps their efforts when people share their resources, volunteer, engage on social media, or donate. They may have ways for you to sign up to receive information that will aid you in helping those around you prepare for the election.
Host or work a voter registration event
Take matters into your own hands and help your neighbors get registered to vote. Plan an entire event around registration, or ask to set up a table at a local coffee shop or at a street festival. Draw people to your table with an interesting hook like games or other entertainment.
To actually be able to register people, you’ll need someone there who’s a volunteer deputy registrar in the county where the event is happening. This position requires someone who is 18 or older, registered to vote in that county, and someone who has completed the appropriate training laid out by the Secretary of State. You can contact your county’s voting registrar if you’re interested. You can also find someone who is already deputized and work with them to host an event or table.
Keep talking about the importance of voting and this election
It’s not everyone’s favorite topic, but it’s important that it stays top of mind for folks. If someone who has planned not to vote continues to hear about all the things at stake in this election, they might become more open to learning about key issues. If they hear about key issues and how those affect the people they love, they might decide to actually vote. It’s a ripple effect, but you have to start the wave. Also, there’s no shame in talking about the things that are important to you and empower others to participate in democracy at the same time.
