Expanding the Franchise
2012 YEO Network National ConveningVoter Suppression, Corporate Personhood and Equality Issues for State Legislative Officials
June 23, 2012
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About the Progressive States Network
• Establish a multi-issue progressive narrative
• Build a national network • Connect legislators with
best practices and sound research
• Act as a source of information
• Move policy
StateMedias
Congress
State Legislatures
GrassrootsGroups
American Public
State-Based Group
National Think Tanks
PSN 2012 Blueprint for Economic Security
Convert individual state policy fights into national campaigns that reflect many of the top concerns of American families
• Create, Grow, and Save Jobs• Rebuild Prosperity in State
Economies• Protect Families from Cuts and
Attacks• Revitalize the Middle Class
Why 2013?
(take a cue from PA)
Three policies, in particular
• Anti-Deceptive Practices
• Election Day Registration
• 16- and 17-year-old voter preregistration
Pivoting on conservative messaging
• These reforms protect the sanctity of elections
• The right to vote is at the heart of what it means to be an American.
• If they can’t count on your vote, they’d rather you not be counted at all.
• No one should prevent eligible Americans from voting, or registering to vote.
Anti-Deceptive Practices: What Worked
• Minimal fiscal impact• Talk about
“misinformation tactics” and “intentional deception”
• Examples of voter intimidation from both sides of the aisle
• Seniors and veterans
Responding to Common Objections
• “Voters are protected under the current law.”
• “There aren’t enough examples of this to justify action.”
• “The penalties are too harsh. What if someone makes a simple mistake?”
Map
Election Day Registration: What Worked
• Getting buy-in from election administrators.
• Working around constitutional limitations when necessary
• Focusing on working people• Shifting the patronizing
tone of conservative objections
Responding to Common Objections
• “This is too complicated.”
• “EDR will lead to fraud.”
Youth Preregistration
Youth Preregistration: The Facts
• Had younger citizens voted at the same rate as those aged 30 and over, seven million more votes would have been cast in 2008.
• Registration rates of voters of color 18-29 lagged behind that of whites by as much as 20 percentage points (college bias, dropouts)
• Preregistered voters were 2% more likely to vote in 2008 than those who registered after turning 18. Preregistered African Americans were 5.2% more likely to vote.
• Voting in an election makes one 29% more likely to vote in the next.
Youth Preregistration: What Worked
• Implementation costs are minimal
• Pairing with a civics education component
• Emphasizing the reduction in voter registration errors through preregistration
Responding to Common Objections
• “Young people move a lot and there’s no point to getting them registered when it will just create redundant records.”
For more information – contact
Cristina Francisco-McGuire
Progressive States Network(212)-680-3116 x118
www.progressivestates.orgTwitter: CristinaPSN