Voter ID laws prevent or intimidate millions of eligible Americans from casting their ballot. Obtaining an ID that fulfills voting requirements is costly and confusing. It often requires navigating arcane systems and bureaucratic barriers that cost time and money. State laws are complicated, creating confusion that disenfranchises many voters. What can be done?
This blog covers:
VoteRiders - how it helps voters with information on acceptable forms of voter IDs for their state
Georgia requirements for acceptable forms of VoterID
Primer on Relational Organizing and why it's so effective
VoteForce - a free relational organizing app
LOOM - a free app to create online training
How to display your phone on your laptop to share with others (on Zoom or record training)
VoteRiders
VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with the mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their right to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts. The VoteRiders team, including over 5,100 volunteers, provides voter ID education and assistance to all eligible voters to equip them with what they need to vote with confidence, knowing they cannot be turned away. Support VoteRiders.
VoteRiders is applying VoteForce, a free relational organizing app so their volunteers can text voter ID related info to their friends in Georgia.
Relational organizing
"Relational organizing, or leveraging pre-existing relationships with friends and family (friendraising) to discuss aspects of voting and organizing, is a highly effective tactic. Friends and family are more likely to comply with an ask from someone they know (as opposed to a stranger or an organization). And people tend to have accurate contact information, like phone numbers and emails, for friends and family, as well as a high contact rate when they attempt to get in touch... The conversion rate, or the number of people who donated after being asked, was incredibly high for friendraisers, averaging almost 45%, compared to 0.83% for the HQ email used for comparison." - Sister District
VoteForce
VoteForce lets groups extend their reach by leveraging their volunteers' relationships through friend-to-friend. Groups create the messages that they would like to have their volunteers text to their friends. Volunteers are automatically alerted when a new message is posted. They can personalize the message, choose which of their friends they want to send it to, and send all the texts with just one click using the app. Volunteers keep their list of friends private - they do not need to share that information. Read the documentation on how VoteForce works. VoteForce is currently free for groups working on voting rights, fair elections, and social justice projects.
Online training with LOOM
DemLabs uses Loom (a free app) for online training. We recorded two short tutorials (each under 2 min long) on how to use and administer VoteForce. I love these Loom features:
- It's free!
- You can record short video clips along with voice comments straight on your laptop without any additional equipment
- You can record the demo of a phone app as I did with VoteForce by connecting my iPhone to my laptop with a USB cord and sharing my phone screen on the laptop with QuickTime ( a free Apple app). I used Loom to record the window of my phone being reflected on my laptop.
- The Loom video recordings can be shared with just a link or download your Loom video and share it by email or on YouTube.
- Track how many times your video has been viewed.
Check out these two VoteForce tutorials in under 3 minutes.
1. How to install VoteForce, pick the group and cause you support, choose a message to send and choose a friend to send it to.
2. How to manage VoteForce console, create your group, create messages for supporters to share and alert them when there is a new message for them to share.
Take away
- Use relational organizing to reach more people by leveraging your supporters' networks.
- Support VoteRider's campaign to get information voter ID related information to Georgia voters.
- Stretch your funds with free apps such as VoteForce and Loom to reach more people.
Let us know of other good solutions (especially free and affordable ones) to share. Democracy isn't only for the rich and well funded groups. Good, affordable technology is the equalizer.
Deepak
DemLabs
Image credit: Adeboro Odunlami on Unsplash