Make Your Voice Heard!
Tools for Advocates
Voter Registration
In a representative democracy, lawmakers respond to the wants and needs of the voters who elected them to office. Any effort to direct lawmakers’ attention to the affordable housing crisis requires that they understand that housing is important to voters. Yet those with the most critical housing needs are also the least likely to vote and, therefore, the least likely to have their needs become priorities for lawmakers.
US Census Bureau data on voter registration and participation in 2000.
| Annual Income | % registered voters | % registered voters voting in 2000 |
|---|---|---|
| Below $5,000 | 53.1% | 34.2% |
| $5,000-9,999 | 57.1% | 40.6% |
| $10,000-14,999 | 58.6% | 44.3% |
| $15,000-24,999 | 65.0% | 51.3% |
| $25,000-34,999 | 69.0% | 57.3% |
| $35,000-49,999 | 72.3% | 61.9% |
| $50,000-74,999 | 77.9% | 68.7% |
| $75,000 and over | 82.1% | 74.9% |
The participation rate of homeowners in 2000 was twice that of renters (84.7% vs. 43.8%). Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition Voter Registration, Education and Mobilization Project
Six Easy Steps Non-profit Organizations Can Take to Register Voters
How to incorporate voter registration into your organization’s daily routine:
- Keep registration forms readily available
- Help people register to vote when they:
- Come in to pay rent/apply for housing
- Go through the intake process
- Pass through common areas
- Pick up supplies/goods provided by agency
- Attend regular meetings
- Set up registration tables at organizing events
- Include voter registration forms with paychecks
- Recruit volunteers for voter registration and get out the vote activities
- Provide incentives for registering the most people
Oregon Voter Registration information: