Make Personal Connections to Encourage Voter Registration
Meet people where they are: easy to say, sometimes hard to do
This week, we have something extra special – our first guest column! Vin Peterson joins Sarakanti Iyer with his story of how he connected with another student during a voter registration drive. Sarakanti and Vin will explore how connecting on a personal level can make others want to engage.
Vin has participated in electoral politics ever since 2018, when he worked to elect Arizona State Rep. Jennifer Pawlik. He also knocked on 270 doors for US Sen. Mark Kelly in 2022, and he runs a podcast, “Politics Weekly.”
In addition to her work as a Youth Outreach Coordinator with CEBV-Y, Sarakanti registered approximately 95% of eligible students at her former high school through three voter registration drives.
A K-Pop Calamity
by Sarakanti Iyer
I gave my in-class announcements, hung up my posters, and sat at my table outside, asking each and every person who walked by if they would be 18 by November 5th. Many said no – some said yes and grabbed a form – and one in particular caught my attention.
A junior I knew, Michael, had refused to register during my first drive. This time around, he felt the same
“Do you want to register to vote?”
“Uh, no,” he responded.
“Why not?”
Instead of answering, he walked quickly in the other direction.
Some might give up in situations like these, but I wasn’t deterred.
Over the course of my drive, I talked to Michael every time I saw him. I came to understand his beliefs and the issues that were important to him. His parents didn’t vote; he thought politics was a cesspool that he wanted to stay out of; he didn’t think that politics had an effect on anything that was important to him.
But I also found out that he loved K-Pop.
I knew that our elected officials have a large impact on everything from clearance for foreign groups to come into the state to concert venue regulations, so I asked him, “What if I told you that your vote could influence whether or not your favorite K-Pop group could perform in Phoenix?”
On the last day of my voter registration drive, with some added prodding from me and his friends, Michael registered to vote.
Making connections with people – talking to them and finding out what they care about – can make a world of change in terms of their civic engagement. Yes, it takes some persistence (or a lot), but I guarantee the issues you care about are at the core of civic engagement. Feeling heard, feeling understood, and knowing your impact makes you want to engage.
ENGAGING ALL VOTERS, INCLUDING ONES WITH DISABILITIES
by Vin Peterson, www.vinpolitics.com
People often wonder if voting ever makes a difference. Well, it very much does! The 2022 Attorney General's race in Arizona was decided by 280 votes out of 2.5 million votes cast. In Arizona, there are about 5.5 million eligible voters (over 18 U.S. citizens who are not felons) but only 4.1 million are registered. Imagine the difference 1.4 million new voters would make! We have seen what happens when potential voters are ignored: extreme politicians come into power at the Legislature and cut funding for schools, roads, and universities while spending taxpayers' money on fake audits and school vouchers that pay for ski trips.
That is why it is important to register and engage voters; representative democracy works best when everyone has the opportunity to participate. I believe everyone’s vote is equally important – this includes people with disabilities.
I’ve been working throughout this election cycle to register new voters, including one who, like me, has Autism. He was reluctant to register and was nervous about the political process, but after I connected with him by telling him I have Autism too and I’m very much looking forward to voting, he registered to vote.
It is important to recognize that disabled individuals should have the same influence as everyone else, but unfortunately, people with disabilities are often neglected and not engaged in politics. We must make sure that Arizonans understand civic engagement and vote from the local level up to the federal level. Our representatives should represent all Arizonans, not a select few. Voting should be easily accessible to all people.
Legislators also have a responsibility to allow people vote more easily. They should follow the lead of states like Minnesota, which had the highest voter turnout rate in both 2016 and 2020. Minnesota makes it easy to register and vote by allowing same day voter registration, a Permanent Early Voting list and Automatic Voter Registration for new drivers at the DMV.
It’s simple: if you make it easy to vote, people will vote.