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Voice in Democracy

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The right to vote is a fundamental element of our Nation’s system of governance, however a substantial number of citizens either choose not to, or unable to, exercise this very basic right. There is a proven trend between the level of income and the likelihood of a citizen to be involved in the electoral process (include link to concrete data). The two demographics with the very lowest voter turnout rates include those of low income and those of younger ages (more concrete numbers here? Those twenty four and younger?)

As a group whose needs have consistently been ignored by lawmakers, it is easy to see why the participation of people with lower incomes is so crucial. Yet, living on a low income imposes unique barriers to voting:

• Moving from place to place makes it difficult to maintain updated voter registration information.
• Lack of user-friendly information on candidates and voting procedures affects the ability to make informed voting decisions.
• Many previously incarcerated people are unaware that their right to vote is restored fairly quickly following the satisfaction of their incarceration and supervision requirements.
• Voting falls low on the priority list for people with low-incomes who have too many immediate needs to take care of.

Poverty Action works to address these barriers and restore civic involvement and participation to those that deserve it!

In 2004 Poverty Action launched the first comprehensive effort to register, educate and mobilize people with lower incomes. Our Vote For A Change campaign increased voter turnout of people with lower incomes by 16% in that first year alone. In 2006 and 2008, the campaign was expanded to reach over 30,000 people statewide.

Poverty Action has been helping voters make informed choices in the election by publishing a statewide voter guide highlighting the candidates’ positions on critical issues such as health care, payday lending, housing and taxes since

In 2009 Poverty Action restored voting rights to over 200,000 previously disenfranchised voters with felony convictions who had been denied the right to vote because they could not repay their fines.