Voter Registration Efforts for 2018 -2019
Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped in so many ways throughout this past year. Without you there would have been many fewer events and many fewer current and new voters reached. You are very much appreciated!
During the National Voter Registration Day a year ago we added data collection to our regular registration drives. This allows us to measure how well we do at different locations and at different times during the year. Based on these data sheets, LWVRC has helped over 400 people register or update their current voter status since 9/18 to be able to vote in the 2019 election.
We also added Sign Up Genius as a tool for both organizers and volunteers to provide enough help at events without overbooking volunteers. Using this for our regular Farmers Market table has been very successful and we will continue to use this for the upcoming year. Other popular attractions at our Farmers Market table are our resident suffragist Emily Menn, our Civics Quiz and our stickers for current and future voters.
We continue to partner with high schools for educating and registering eligible students. In May we visited Rensselaer and Berlin High Schools. Both schools are new additions to our outreach efforts and both asked that we return next year. We continue to visit or send information to East Greenbush, Brittinkill, Schodack and Hoosick Falls high schools. This will also continue next year.
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During July and August we partnered with Albany LWV members at all six Spirit of the Suffragettes concerts held in Freedom Square in North Central Troy. Each event resulted in many new/updated voter registrations.
In September we created 38 voter registration events and registered 240 new voters in partnership with National Voter Registration Day 2019. We again focused our efforts on working with student leaders from the three colleges in Rensselaer County: RPI, Sage and Hudson Valley. In addition, NVRD events were held at all 17 libraries in the County and at Unity House, CEO, EOC, Troy Area United Ministries (TAUM), YMCA, YWCA,The Snowman, the Troy Farmers’ Market, Troy Night Out and the Uncle Sam bus stop.
Shirley Buel, Voter Service Chair
