Thank you to everyone who joined Monday's (8/8) Our Homes, Our Votes webinar on Voter Education: The When, Where, What, Why, and How!

Registered voters need information to exercise their rights with confidence. A successful voter education campaign should ensure that voters have the logistical details they need to show up at the polls or vote by mail. The webinar covered best practices for educating voters about polling locations, mail-in voting, ID requirements, provisional ballots, navigating new voting procedures, and knowing their voting rights. Panelists also discussed opportunities to educate voters on candidates’ policy positions and what to expect on their ballots.

Cristin Langworthy, community engagement and government relations coordinator at the Housing Network of Rhode Island (HNRI), shared comprehensive #VoteReady resources that HNRI developed in collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of State. Cristin explained the key components of an effective voter education strategy and showed sample materials for each step of the campaign, including resources to make a voting plan, educate voters about candidate positions, and ensure that voters know their rights. 

Santra Denis, executive director of Miami Workers Center, discussed issue-based voter education and grassroots organizing. Santra emphasized the importance of reaching potential voters by engaging on the issues that directly affect their lives. She explained Miami Workers Center's electoral work as part of the Center's broader strategy to build tenant power and press local elected officials to champion housing justice. 

Owen Hutchinson, director of external relations at Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, discussed his organization's work to conduct outreach and provide trainings on the state's new Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system. Owen also discussed racial disparities among people experiencing homelessness in Alaska and its impact on voter access. Alaska Native communities are disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness and face unique obstacles to voting, such as the state's lack of acceptance of Tribal IDs and transportation barriers in rural areas.