Guest Column
By Rachel Freund
“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”
– Lyndon Johnson
Voting does more than elect politicians. Through the act of voting, people become dynamic players in the political arena where policy decisions are made and both their political and personal power grows. They become active citizens, connected with the community of voters.
Unfortunately, according to US Census data, people with disabilities, including mental health disabilities, are 15% less likely to be registered to vote and 20% less likely to vote if registered. Consequently, our issues take a back seat to those associated with groups who have more political clout, groups more likely to turn out voters.
The issue of mobilizing our community as a ‘culture of voters’ is multi-faceted and requires a comprehensive approach to remedy. As an organizer focusing on cross-disability advocacy and citizen participation over the past six years, I’ve been fortunate to work with a community of skilled advocates. Here are three steps we have learned can get results:
1. Use the National Voter Registration Act
The National Voter Registration Act, (NVRA – also known as the Motor Voter Law) requires all state-funded organizations that provide services to people with disabilities, including mental health services, like out-patient, residential, psychiatric rehabilitation, case management and drop-in centers, to assist those they serve with voter registration and to report their registration data every month to their state.
Arm yourself with information about NVRA and work to assure that agencies you work with are fulfilling their obligation. In the 14 years since NRVA was signed into law, its use has declined with each passing year. Learn more about NVRA and how it can be a powerful tool in your voter engagement tool box. Here are some great resources:
2. Activate the grassroots to register, educate and energize our peers.
NVRA is your ticket into agencies. Staff are often weary and overworked and have little time to make sure that they are offering everyone they serve an opportunity to register to vote. They’ll be happy to have your help.
You can train volunteers to register and educate their peers. At Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association (PMHCA), we’ve trained dozens of voter educators who are helping to build a consumer power base. Those who get involved become active voters who continue to be civically engaged by advocating for themselves and other people with disabilities.
People are far more likely to be drawn in if their peers encourage them to get engaged. We set up tables in out- patient clinics, visited personal care homes and other residential facilities and show up at food pantries and at special events with clipboards and voter forms in hand.
This work changes the people who are involved. One volunteer, Ralph, reported that after working hard on our voter outreach project, “I felt a sense of belonging. I feel that I’m here representing a lot of people. I can go back home and share the information with others who aren’t as involved as I am. Being involved in this group, being respected by others, has helped me to have respect for myself. If you have a sense of self-respect, you can go anywhere with it.”
Get organized! You can find wonderful resources on voter engagement here:
Where will you find volunteers to make your project a success? I like to follow the advice of Michael Gecan, author of ‘Going Public; an Organizer’s Guide to Citizen Action’:
“People who have ideas and drive are on every street, in every walk of life, waiting in the wings, ready to be discovered. Someone has to reach them and recognize them. Someone has to ask them to step out, not to be consumers or props or spectators, but to be players in the unfolding drama of public life.”
3. Make sure your registration work gets counted
Unless policy makers have data to show how many voter registrations we produce, we will not be recognized as a political force. We can use the framework of the NVRA to assure our numbers are documented.
You may have to play detective (I like to see myself as a cross between Erin Brockovich and Velma from Scooby Doo…). First, find out how your community is doing! You can see the grim statistics for your state by checking this report to Congress and looking at page 34. http://www.eac.gov/clearinghouse/docs/the-impact-of-the-national-voter-registration-act-on-federal-elections-2005-2006/attachment_download/file
Find out how the data gets collected in your community. Who reports on how many registrations come from Disability Service Organizations? Start with your Department of Human Services. Ask questions! Your Department of State should be able to explain to you how they collect data from various voter registration sources and how you can be sure your numbers are showing up.
We were displeased to find that the system in our state, Pennsylvania, has broken down over the years since NVRA passed and that most counties in our state reported ZERO registrations from disability service organizations, in spite of our hard work. We are now working closely with the Department of State to correct the problems in record-keeping.
As you work to implement these three steps, you’ll be enriched with marvelous partnerships – there are strong voters’ rights advocates everywhere who will be happy to work with you, from the League of Women Voters to People for the American Way and the League of Young Voters. All of work becomes more robust as we knit it together. Share your triumphs and challenges with your peers; we’d love to hear about what’s happening in your community!
Civil rights activist Bayard Rustin offers advice that still rings true at this moment in history, “More than voter registration is involved here. A conscious bid for political power is being made, and in the course of that effort a tactical shift is being affected… calling for the building of community institutions or power bases.”
Rachel Freund is the Policy Advocate Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association and a member of the Steering Committee for the Disability Voting Coalition of Pennsylvania. Rachel has been an organizer in cross-disability advocacy and citizen engagement for the past six years.
From CBS News (June 28):
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