From the Deacon's Desk: Updating Voter Registration and Polling Locations

Deacon Carol Duncan

Updating your Voter Registration and Finding Your Polling Place

This fall, St. Martin’s is focused on voter registration and poll access. (Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this article to see how you can help!) Our goal is that 100% of St. Martin’s members who are eligible to vote are registered and that 100% turn out at the polls on November 6. To that end, we have two options for voter registration. POWER has an option for which we will soon provide parish-wide training. They have promised to have a phone app to register instantly online. In the meantime…

The Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) also has an option. First time registrants must print out the form and mail it in because the government needs your signature. So do it NOW. October 9 is the last day to register. First time voters (like Margaret Horvat and all other just-turned-18ers) remember to bring photo ID to the polls.

Here is how to update your registration (name or address change) or find your polling information through EPPN:

Beneath the top image scroll, and below the 5 Priority Areas (with circles to represent each area) is the Episcopalians Vote section. Top of the list is “Register to vote!” Click on that, and then select your state from the drop down, and then click the red “Find out how to register” button. You are taken to an option to “Start your online registration”. Have your driver’s license handy. Fill in the registration. Tick the box for a change of name or address or party. Scroll down to fill in your previous name or address. Make sure to check the confirmation button toward the end. Also the “I’m not a robot” at the very end. Do this as soon as possible so the state and county have time to catch up with you. Again, the registration deadline is October 9.

Registered voters who need to look up their polling place can do that at EPPN also. Click on the same “Register to vote!” button then, below “Already registered?”, select the option that meets your needs. My information came right up, although I had to scroll up to see it. If you registered with a false birthdate to protect your confidentiality, possibly you will run into a problem. Let me know if it happens, and we’ll attempt a recovery.

Absentee voting:

If you must be out of town on Tuesday, November 6, here is the absentee ballot website. https://www.philadelphiavotes.com/

Highlight the Voters tab at the top and scroll down the menu about halfway to absentee & alternative ballots. You must print the application, fill out the required information, and return the completed application to: Philadelphia County Board of Elections, City Hall Room 142, 1400 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19107. The deadline is 5pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

How you can help with our voter engagement efforts:

St. Martin’s will be doing voter registration at the Fall for the Arts Festival on Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers to help register people using their cell phones (or yours) would be appreciated. Please call me at 330.7054795.

Blessings,

The Rev. Carol Duncan, deacon 

POWER Spring 2014 Voter Engagement Results

Howard Bilofsky and David Mosenkis of Germantown Jewish Center have just published an article about POWER’s s voter education drive. I still struggle with the words of the article. When Howard explained it to me, I could get it from the graph. Here is the article followed by my interpretation of the graph.

Effectiveness of POWER’s Spring 2014 Voter Engagement Campaign

POWER targeted low income, infrequent voters in our Spring 2014 voter engagement campaign leading up to the May 2014 primary election.  Overall,  19% of registered voters in Philadelphia turned out to vote in that election.  But the population POWER targeted had a lower turnout rate of 10%.  This rate would have been even lower were it not for POWER’s outreach to that population.  Voters in the population that POWER volunteers touched (by talking to them in person and on the phone or leaving a message) had a turnout rate of 25%.  Voters who POWER touched and who committed to vote had a turnout rate of 38%.  So voters POWER reached were 2.5 times as likely to vote as the overall population, and voters who POWER garnered commitments from were nearly 4 times as likely to vote.

Voter Turnout for Low Income Infrequent Voters

Interpretation of the Graph

You see the dotted line down the middle. That represents the per cent of Philadelphia’s registered voters who turned out to vote in the May 2014 election, 19% (shamefully low, I think).

You see the little box on the top. That shows the rate at which infrequent voters turned out to vote. Only 9%. In other election cycles, 9% would be above average for infrequent voters. POWER raised the total rate.

You see the middle box. That shows the rate at which infrequent voters who had received a communication from POWER voted. Instead of 9%, 25% of infrequent voters who heard from POWER voted .

The bottom box shows the rate at which those who committed to vote in response to POWER voted. 38% of infrequent voters who told POWER that they would vote actually went to the polls and voted.

ASTONISHING! Now look at the numbers of infrequent voters who have committed to vote so far in our fall campaign. In just two sessions with 11 phoners, we have gotten 140 commitments. We had 177 actual conversations, so far. So 79% of the people we talk to commit to vote. We know from our May experience that if they commit, they are very likely to follow through.

We still have three Sundays (12:30 to 3:00 p.m.) and one Wednesday (Oct 22 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.) on which we can call. Jess Ballenger has become extremely competent in training and guiding us in the process. This work gives a sense of accomplishment and confidence that we are building a community of education voters. Please sign up here to come try it out. 

-The Rev. Carol Duncan