Early voting and vote-by-mail are important options for people who might face obstacles to voting on Election Day – including people with inflexible schedules, childcare responsibilities, or limited transportation options. The COVID-19 pandemic has made vote-by-mail an especially important option when it comes to ensuring that voting is accessible to all. This session discussed how and why to incorporate vote-by-mail and early voting into get-out-the-vote (GOTV) strategies.

 

Bryce Bennett, project director at Vote Early Day, summarized the benefits of early voting, which helps voters avoid last-minute obstacles to voting on Election Day. He described the purpose of Vote Early Day, a nonpartisan civic holiday that celebrates the act of voting early, and activation ideas for Vote Early Day on October 28, 2022. Cris Wegner, GOTV coordinator at the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, shared resources relating to vote-by-mail and addressed key considerations relating to ballot curing, returning ballots, and vote-by-mail as an accessible voting option. Courtney Cooperman, housing advocacy organizer at NLIHC, announced additional Our Homes, Our Votes resources and opportunities, including social media activations for National Voter Registration Day and National Voter Education Week.

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The next webinar, “Overcoming Voter Suppression,” will be held on Monday, October 3, at 2:30 pm ET. Pervasive voter suppression has disenfranchised people of color and other underrepresented groups throughout American history. Today, people of color, returning citizens, people with disabilities, older adults, English language learners, and members of other marginalized communities face disproportionate barriers to voting. The panel will feature Lilian Aluri, voting campaign coordinator at REV UP; Allison Neswood, staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund; and Kelly Sue Waller and Stephanie Isaacs, organizers at the Bedford County Listening Project.