What if we told you there was something you could do to improve your health and your community at the same time? And that it was as simple as voting?
Increased civic engagement, including voting, is linked to all sorts of positive outcomes including an increased sense of being able to influence our own lives and outcomes – including our health. However too many people in our community don’t participate in voting or other forms of civic engagement. The majority of people who aren’t registered or don’t vote regularly are women, people of color, people with low incomes, or young people. In 2008, only 6 out of 10 eligible voters under age 30 voted.
Neighborhood Partnerships and the Housing Alliance are interested in helping to change that, along with many other allies and partners across the state who are working to help make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote can vote. When more people participate in our political process and civic life, we have a healthier, richer community. (Check out a great video from our partners at Oregon Voice.)
Civic engagement is about creating and sustaining a healthy democracy. Voting is one of our rights, responsibilities and privileges. Helping make sure people who are eligible to vote can vote is hugely important and it’s important for the communities we serve.
- Women, People of Color, Low Income Communities, and Young People are all less likely to vote.
- Civic engagement provides opportunities to invite the people we serve to take part in a positive and important process.
- Elected officials pay attention to who votes and who doesn’t vote.
Civic engagement puts our communities’ needs into the forefront of the political process.
As a 501(c)(3) organization, there is a lot you can do to help engage people in our democracy. You can register people to vote. You can help educate our community about issues such as affordable housing. You can encourage people to vote. You can even take a position on statewide ballot initiatives. (Check out this fact sheet.)
Over the course of the next six months, Neighborhood Partnerships and the Housing Alliance will be working with our partners to try out some strategies to register and educate voters. If you’re interested in participating in or learning more about our non-partisan civic engagement efforts, contact Alison.