This article originally appeared in the September-October 2004 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Election 2004

Getting out the vote for kids

Advocates for children and families are active this year in a nationwide movement to get under-represented people to the polls

By Heather World

Who Votes?

• Low-income young people are least likely to vote.

• Rich white people are most likely to vote.

• QUESTION: Why do you think local, state, and national policies reflect the needs of older, richer, whiter people in the United States?

• ANSWER: VOTING IS POWER!
  

  -Flyer by the California Partnership

This flyer, (above) produced by a coalition of organizations advocating for low-income families, is just one part of this year's massive national movement to bring under-represented groups to the polls. California organizations serving and advocating for children and families are getting involved with projects aiming to persuade parents and others who care about children to register and vote.

"Politicians respond to who they think will vote!" says Maria Luz Torre, organizer for Parent Voices in San Francisco.

"The whole social fabric of our life is dependent on the priorities of our government, and those are determined by the people who participate," said Paul Miller, executive director of Kidango, a Bay Area child development program.

Elected officials make decisions about funding and rules for child care, education, health care, housing, welfare, foster care, and more.

Parent Voices: Peer-to-peer outreach

Parent Voices tries to show parents they make a difference if they vote, says Michelle Stewart, a coordinator for the Contra Costa chapter.

"Generally speaking, they are so overwhelmed day-to-day, they do not participate," she says. "The goal is to get them to take the initiative and be involved."

This fall, the group will set up voter-registration tables at child care programs serving low-income families and register voters. They'll try to have a parent from the program at the table: "Often we find peer-to-peer contact most effective," Stewart says.

And for "single parents who don't vote because they have so many other pressing responsibilities," says San Francisco Parent Voices organizer Dru Howard, the group encourages them to vote by mail with an absentee ballot.

California Partnership: Knocking on doors

California Partnership has been training member organizations to get more people to vote. The groups register voters either in their own membership or by knocking on doors and signing up voters at community events, says Southern California organizer Alicia Lepe. Member organizations report back on how many voters they've registered and what methods work best. Near election day, the groups will go back to people they registered and encourage them to get out and vote.

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote: training leaders

Immigrants who have become citizens can vote, but they face extra hurdles that keep many away from the polls, says Larisa Casillas, campaign coordinator for Mobilize the Immigrant Vote California, a project of Northern California Citizenship Project.

"There is general distrust of the system itself," she says. Many question whether their vote will count. The bureaucratic language of the ballot is difficult to understand and translations aren't always available; unfamiliar voting methods-punch card, lever, touch-screen-can be intimidating. Then immigrant communities "are often ignored, because of their low voter turnout."

To help, Mobilize the Immigrant Vote plans to produce a voter's rights palm card as well as a longer voter guide on ballot questions. The group is also providing a series of all-day, intensive trainings on election work for community leaders across California. Participants learn how to show immigrants the potential impact of their vote by linking political issues with their daily lives.

PTA: Working through schools

The California state Parent Teacher Association targets another notoriously underrepresented voting bloc-youth.

Cecelia Mansfield, director of legislation, says the organization encourages high school PTSAs to register students who will be 18 by the election-and their parents. The PTA encourages local chapters to use back-to-school nights and other events. The state organization helps local PTAs organize candidate forums and directs them to websites or organizations that provide impartial information.

"We need to encourage voters to take advantage of the opportunity they have at an early age so they'll be lifelong voters," she said. This year California's secretary of state will send voter registration applications with high school and college diplomas and start a program to train student poll workers.

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Giving people reasons to vote

Registering voters is only the first step in increasing voter participation. Educating people about issues is important in motivating them to vote, says Oakland Parent Voices organizer Kim Kruckel: "They become a part of the process when they see how they are directly affected."

"Most people don't learn by reading," says Paul Miller, director of Kidango. So Kidango carves out time from parent meetings to discuss political issues or candidates' positions.

Crystal Stairs, a child care resource and referral center in Los Angeles, hosts quarterly brown-bag lunches on candidates and issues for its staff. Crystal Stairs also includes political education in its provider training, for example, describing the budget process and how the budget affects small businesses and child care funding.

Learning about the issues leads to more participation: Last year after a policy workshop, Public Affairs Director Sydney Kamlager noticed a 25 percent increase in calls from parents and providers seeking election information, and another 10 to 15 percent increase in invitations to speak about political participation at other events.

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Resources:

Register and vote

• 800-345-VOTE

• www.easyvoter.org/

• www.calvoter.org, 530-750-7650

Bring children's issues into the campaigns

• Children's Advocate article: www.4children.org/news/902aae.htm (English and Spanish)

• Finding or organizing candidate forums Your local League of Women Voters (in the white pages)

Find information on candidates and ballot measures

• Easy Voter Guide, 415-454-6500, www.easyvoter.org (English and Spanish)
  

• Children's Defense Fund scorecard on members of Congress, 202-628-8787, http://www.childrensdefense.org/
  

• Children's Advocacy Institute report card on members of the California legislature, www.caichildlaw.org, click on "advocacy," then on "legislation"

For additional resources, see 10 Steps to voting power

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