Turnout Toolkit for the 2000 Election

What can we do to  strengthen voter participation in Philadelphia?

Some people don’t vote as a matter of principle. They don’t like politicians. They don’t see what difference it makes to vote. And you can’t persuade them otherwise.

But most nonvoters aren’t so determined. They may not see the relevance of an election to their lives, but they’re willing to discuss it. These are the people that the NonVoters Campaign can reach.

So if you want to take part in this effort, here is how you can go about it, along with a toolkit of online resources to help you.

Become a NonVoter Volunteer --We will add you to our email list and provide you with information on how to reach nonvoters throughout the campaign.

Figure out your Ward and Division. This will help you decide where you intend to concentrate in reaching nonvoters. Your ward and division is on your voter registration card. If you can’t find it, the NonVoters Campaign will identify wards and divisions for all NonVoter Volunteers.

Check out your ward and division targets to increase turnout by 10%. The ward target represents a 10% increase in the ward’s vote in 1996.The target for each division represents a 10% increase in the average vote each division in the ward produced in 1996.

Know who represents you and who’s on the ballot . Beyond the Presidential and Senate races, our representatives in Congress and in the Pa. House of Representatives are all running this year, as are several State Senators. Using Vote-Smart, you can enter your zip code and get this information for your area.

Call your favorite evening news station and ask them to support the ‘five minutes a night’ campaign. Nonvoters do watch the evening and late night news. The more they see candidates discussing the issues, the more likely they are to vote.

Study for yourself where the leading candidates stand on issues important to NonVoters. If you don’t know this, how will you be able to convey this information to the people you’re trying to reach?

 Focus on registration up to the October 10th deadline. You can even download a registration form online.

 Pay special attention to reaching young people. Many young people between 18 and 24 are not registered.Only 30%  of them vote--far lower than the rest of us.  But focus groups coordinated in Philadelphia by the Institute for the Study of Civic Values for the Aspen Institute’s Youth Voter Initiative found that young people will respond if we make an effort to involve them.

 Learn how to use PhillyBlocks.org to get action in solving neighborhood problems. When you canvass, people are going to ask you about all sorts of problems.  This Institute for the Study of Civic Values web site gives you fast access to City Departments dealing with vacant buildings, abandoned houses, and related problems on the block.

 Spend two weekends before the election and after 5:00 PM on election day canvassing registered nonvoters on your target block. This is when you can do the most good in getting the non-voters to vote. We will update the link here to access the information most useful to you in preparing for the election.

Become a NonVoter Volunteer