Since the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, voter engagement efforts have played a vital role in our democratic process. Unfortunately, both low-income and minority citizens have historically been and remain underrepresented in the electoral process. In fact, only 33% of the low-income population in the U.S. is registered to vote. By encouraging residents in our communities to register to vote and ultimately cast their ballot, we can ensure that the voices of all are reflected in major public policy decisions.

In lieu of an in-person training, we’ve created a digital classroom, “Voter Registration | A Nonprofit’s Guide to Success” where members can download resources from Enterprise Community Partners, National Low Income Housing Coalition, the NAACP, Klein Hornig and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) highlighting best practices to host voter registration drives within affordable housing communities. Thank you to our partners who were instrumental in organizing these resources, Virginia Housing Alliance and APAH!

Speakers include the following:

Melissa Bondi from Enterprise Community Partners, who will provide insights on engaging low-income communities to organize and engage in voter registration and GOTV efforts with highlights from a field case study.

Victoria Bouret of National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), who will provide an overview of NLIHC’s focus this year on mobilizing GOTV efforts within low-income communities.

Kim Phillip of the Arlington Chapter of the NAACP, who will provide an overview of the ways in which organizations can partner with their local NAACP affiliates to get low-income residents register, and active in voting. 

Jose Quinonez of Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), who will share APAH’s experience as a landlord in actively facilitating and hosting GOTV engagement activities with low-income resident in their community.

Teresa Santalucia of Klein Hornig, who will provide legal expertise on what types of civic and advocacy related activities in which non-profits can engage.

Sim Wimbush of  Virginia Housing Alliance (Moderator)

Ready to get started? Keep reading for your course materials!

Course Materials

• WEBINAR: Voting Matters | How to Increase Voter Engagement Among Low Income Housing Residents
• POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Additional Materials

• ABOUT SPREAD THE VOTE
• SPREAD THE VOTE FLYER (ENGLISH)
• SPREAD THE VOTE FLYER (SPANISH)