The VCN Get Out the Vote Guide

While you can certainly run a voter registration on your own, consider collaborating with some friends, colleagues and peers. You may need people to be in charge of supplies, location scouting, social media/outreach, training volunteers on voter registration laws, and more. If your team has individual responsibilities, they will each feel a sense of ownership and pride!

Remember all successful drives (like group projects in school) don’t happen by putting all the work on the shoulders of one person. Building a core team that shares the work is the most crucial step in creating a voter registration drive that works.

Running a voter registration drive has a lot of moving parts and is much easier and fun if you're with your friends and election organizers. You can do it however you want, but here is our suggested structure. As the Voter Captain or Civic Representative, it will be your job to be the captain of the ship and gather your team. Make sure each team member has what they need to do their role successfully. As you build out the rest of your team with Election Organizers, some suggested roles are:

Location Scout and Volunteer Recruiter:

• Find a location for your voter registration booth(s)
• Help plan logistics of any event(s)
• Hang up posters and share them on social media
• Talk to other clubs and get them to assist with your drive

Volunteer Manager:

• Motivate and encourage people to join your voter registration drives
• Organize sign-in sheets and volunteer contact information
• Create sign-up slots where each volunteer works the drive for a period of time and on certain days

Training Captain:

• Instruct voter registration volunteers on proper campaigning etiquette
• Know your state’s voter registration rules like the back of your hand
• Make sure that during each time slot (even when you’re not there) your volunteers also know the rules and have someone who can answer questions

Supply Manager:

• Keep track of all clipboards, voter registration forms, and miscellaneous supplies
• Make sure that the table is always stocked with supplies and that even when you are not at the table others can access the supplies if needed

Work with your teacher and alert administrators of your intention to have a voter registration drive. Decide with them where it will be held (classrooms, the cafeteria, etc). For an office or any other private space, just alert whoever is in charge of the space.

Set up your booth somewhere with a lot of foot traffic, but also somewhere that isn't overwhelmingly crowded. If you’re in a school, set up outside your cafeteria, at a club fair, or on the main quad.

Sports games, theater shows, band concerts, dances, or other events with a lot of people are great places for setting up your registration tables.

You can’t run a proper drive if you don’t have the proper supplies! Here are some things that you’ll need!

Follow this checklist and you’ll be all set:

• Online voter registration forms
• Maybe some printed registration forms
  • *NYS forms can be returned either in-person or by mail.
• Clipboards for all your volunteers
• Lots of black/blue pens
• List of state rules to refer to: NYS Voter Registration Process
• A table
• Music or other ways to draw people
• Colorful signs and banners to draw attention to your table! Signs can say:
  • “Register to Vote Here!”
  • “Update Your Address to Vote Here!”
• Swag: Buttons, stickers, wristbands, etc.

You can use DoSomething's online voter registration tool here. However, you can also print the NYS registration form as well. *NYS forms can be returned either in-person or by mail.

Make sure everyone knows how the form works and how to properly fill it out. Keep the mood upbeat and fun, and share stories on why voting is important to you!

Remember that we are non-partisan, so we can’t endorse or oppose any candidates or parties. If someone asks you who to vote for, just redirect them to why you’re voting and give them information on where they can learn who or what is on their ballot this fall (Upcoming Elections tab). We can always say we are voting because of issues but not for candidates.

Make sure other people know about your drive. Share your event on social media! Create a Facebook event, Eventbrite, put it on your Insta story, Snapchat, or any other social media platform.

You can also create your own awesome posters and hang them. Make sure the community knows about your drive.

Set up your table with colorful signs, banners, and swag! Be sure to arrive 30 minutes before your event starts.

Again, set up your booth or table in a high foot traffic area where you'll run into lots of people. Early afternoon or lunch is usually a suitable time.

Remember, if you want to give out snacks or gifts to people who register, you must give something to EVERYONE, even if they don’t register. Otherwise, it’s incentivizing people to register, which is not allowed.

Remember these key tips and you got this:

1. Voter registration forms are gold. Treat them like it – always have the online registration tool open and ready to be filled, or use this QR code for easy sharing.
2. Don’t stand behind the table. Move around, be assertive and friendly, and let everyone see how much you are enjoying this!
3. Ask everyone to register... not just the people that look like you or the people that approach you.
4. Make sure you have two forms open. While someone is filling out a form, start engaging your next registrant.
5. If you get the feeling someone won’t be talked into registering, move on.
6. Make sure the registrant has filled out the form completely.
7. Remind people who complete the registration process that their voter registration info should arrive in the mail within three or four weeks, but that they can also check their registration status online anytime.
8. More volunteers = more registrations. More volunteers are always better! You’ll look more professional, and you’ll get more work done.

It's important to remind everyone of the amazing impact they're making.

*Generally, the average volunteer will get just a few registration forms in an hour in a heavily trafficked area. If your volunteers are bummed that they only got three registrations, let your volunteers know that because of their hard work, three people can now vote!! That’s amazing! People fought for centuries for the right to vote, and you just gave it to three people!

Tell DoSomething how it went!! Upload pictures of your drive to the website and we’ll feature you to other VCN members across the country.

Be sure to also take time to celebrate your awesome work! Each and every person you register makes a difference in your community and our country. We know this can be a lot of work and celebrating how awesome you and your team are for running your drive is key to keeping people motivated and excited.