It's back to school season, and we've got an assignment for you! How do we get more voters excited about voting?
California has a very high voter registration count -- somewhere around 85%. But it is difficult to get more than 50% of those voters to actually cast a ballot. Using inconvenience as an excuse is hard to justify now that all voters in Santa Clara County receive a mail-in ballot and voting centers are open for a couple of weeks prior to Election Day. Some voters believe their vote doesn't matter . . . others say that they don't feel like they know enough about the issues to make an informed decision . . . and an increasing number are disillusioned about government and democracy and just throw up their hands in dismay.
The League wants to help turn this around and that's where your assignment comes in. What can we do as concerned community volunteers to encourage more people to vote beyond our normal League activities of Candidate Forums, Pros & Cons presentations, and Voter's Edge?
Let's think outside the box and find some new approaches to try for the March Presidential Primary. All ideas are welcome so send your suggestions to us at President@lwvsjsc.org. Wild and crazy, tame and conventional -- we want to hear them all!
Martha Butzier
Co-President
Diane McNutt
Co-President
P.S. To get your creative juices flowing, read through a recent study by the U.C. Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies on who votes (and who doesn't) in California and the need for more voter education to close persistent gaps in participation.
Comments