Planning an In-Person Voter Registration Event

If you want to share the action of voting or register members of your community to participate in an upcoming election, here are some strategies for hosting an in-person voter registration event:

The Basics

1. Find a location to host your voter registration drive – You will want to set up in an area with high traffic. If you are on campus, this could be a student life center, a residence hall, library, or athletic center. If you are hosting a voter registration drive in the community, you could try at a busy neighborhood park, a coffee shop, or library. This requires a little bit of planning because you may need permission before setting up. It is totally up to you how you want to conduct the voter registration drive – you could grab a table and a chair, or you could stand up and walk around. The choice is up to you!

2. Set up materials –  Print out a flier with info on how to register - and bring paper registration forms, if your state offers or requires them - to help friends, colleagues, teammates, classmates, and roommates get signed up.  You can place the info flier on registration tables, on public bulletin boards, or posting spaces around your community or campus. Additionally, you can tape this flier (or several of these flyers) to a table, or you can carry the flier and registration forms around on a clipboard. If your state allows online registration, bring a tablet for people to sign up on the spot - or create a QR code that they can scan to register on their phone.

3. Go! –  Bring your enthusiasm - and information about critical issues on the ballot - so that you can encourage others to get excited about voting. Help them understand what’s at stake during the next election and why their vote matters! Make sure they also know and understand key deadlines to register and vote so that they are able to submit their ballot on time.