We’re nine months away from the presidential election, and voter registration efforts are ramping up across the country.
Since the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, VR drives have played a vital role in our democratic process. While there are other ways to reach the tens of millions of underrepresented Americans, no substitute exists for the patriotic act of canvassing our country’s neighborhoods to help community members register to vote.
But voter registration efforts have grown increasingly risky in recent years. Partisan attacks on drives have been commonplace since 2008, and many states have created a web of confusing laws and restrictive requirements designed to snare any organization that tries to help its community members register to vote.
It shouldn’t be so hard. And Project Vote is working to make sure it doesn’t have to be.
Today, I wanted to make sure you were aware of one of the many tools we provide to help such organizations protect themselves and conduct safe, efficient, effective drives. Project Vote has created a library of State Voter Registration Guides. These comprehensive, easy-to-understand guides explain the laws that govern voter registration on a state-by-state basis. They cover important aspects of running a drive, such as registration requirements, training requirements, deadlines for submitting applications to election officials, restrictions on compensating canvassers, and other vital requirements.
“When it comes to voter registration, the Devil is in the details,” says Amy Busefink, Deputy Director of Project Vote. “We’ve been managing VR drives for over twenty years, and we know how important it is to understand the rules of handling applications. We want to make sure groups have the information they need to avoid problems and protect themselves.”
State-by-state guides to voter registration laws are currently available for 36 states. Project Vote continues to add new guides—including several Spanish-language versions—and to update existing guides as the laws change in individual states. These state guides can be downloaded free of charge here.
The State Voter Registration Guides are just one of the many tools and services Project Vote provides to protect this vital legacy of the Civil Rights movement, and ensure that voter registration drives can continue to operate unimpeded by threat of persecution and unfair administrative restrictions.