WELCOME TO STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION DAY

WELCOME TO STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION DAY

WHAT ISSUES DO YOU CARE ABOUT?

WHAT IS STUDENT VOTER REGISTRATION DAY (SVRD)? SVRD is an annual one-day program designed to: Register students to vote Educate students about civic participation Promote a voting culture among our youngest eligible citizens

WHAT DOES IT MEAN NOW THAT I WILL BE 18?

I CAN

First you marched Now you can register, vote, and remain civically engaged

YOUR IMPACT ON YOUR COMMUNITY What issues are important to you? How can you stay informed? What is your role and responsibility? Activity 2

Activity 2

WHY VOTING MATTERS What is voting? Activity 3

A HISTORY OF VOTING RIGHTS 1868: 14th Amendment All persons born or naturalized are citizens of the United States 1870: 15th Amendment All men, irrespective of race, color, or previous servitude, are granted the right to vote. 1920: 19th Amendment Women are granted the right to vote. 1964: 24th Amendment Poll taxes for voters in federal elections are prohibited 1965: The Voting Rights Act Overrode legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans the right to vote including literacy tests 1976: 26th Amendment 18-year-olds are granted the right to vote Activity 3

VOTER TURNOUT STATISTICS 18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 2017 General Election 13.5% 19.6% 24.3% 29.9% 35.9% 2016 General Election 55.4% 58.3% 61.1% 65.3% 67.4% New York s overall voter turnout ranking in the 2016 presidential election: 41 out of 50. Activity 3

REASONS WHY PEOPLE MIGHT NOT VOTE Eliminating common barriers to participation Does my vote matter? Do I have enough information to vote? Establishing trust in government. Activity 4

ISSUES THAT MATTER TO US Financial Aid/Student Loans Jobs and Wages Traffic and Transit Housing Gun Control Immigration Reform How do these issues affect our lives? How can we have an impact on these issues? Activity 5

TRIVIA FUN! Activity 7

UPCOMING ELECTIONS Federal primary election Tuesday, June 26 State primary election Thursday, September 13 General election Tuesday, November 6 Activity 1

WHO CAN REGISTER? You must be eligible to vote in order to register. Any US citizen who will be 18 by the end of the calendar year. If you are an immigrant New Yorker, you can vote if you: Became a citizen by naturalization. Are a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories. You cannot vote if you: Applied for naturalization, but have not completed the process. Have a green card. Have a visa, other form of immigration status, or no immigration status. Activity 1

You must be a citizen to register to vote. You may register to vote at age 17 as long as you will be 18 by the end of the year. You may only vote in an election if you are 18 on Election Day. Activity 1

WRITE LEGIBLY! With blue or black ink! Your name must match the name on your ID. Writing your phone number and/or email, while not required, allows the BOE to contact you if there are any problems with your registration form. Activity 1

Write the address where you live in Box 8. To receive mail at a different address write it in box 9. If you are in temporary housing: Write a location where you can be found as the address where you live. Write an address of a shelter, a P.O. box, or family member s address as the address where you receive mail. Your voter card will be sent to this address and you will be assigned a poll site according to the address where you live. Activity 1

If you are updating your voter registration this information will help the BOE locate your voting record. It is not required. If you are updating your voter registration, fill in your previous name, address, or county/state to help the BOE find your existing registration. Activity 1

Provide either a New York State ID number or the last 4 digits of your social security. If you don t have either, check the third box. This will mean that the first time you vote, you will need to present one of the following forms of identification at the poll site: 1. A photo ID or 2. Proof of address, such as an electric or gas bill that shows your name and address. Activity 1

You can choose one of the parties listed, write in the name of a party, or choose not to enroll in any party. You must enroll in one of the listed parties to vote in that parties primary elections, unless state party rules allow otherwise. You may change your party enrollment by completing this form before the general election registration deadline. The change will not take effect until the following year. Activity 1

If you will need to vote by Absentee Ballot, check the box to receive an application for an absentee ballot. You may request an Absentee Ballot from the BOE after registering to vote whether or not you check this box. Please read the terms of the affidavit carefully before you sign and date to validate your form. Someone can assist you with filling out the rest of the form, but you must sign it yourself. Activity 1

WRAPPING UP VOTER REGISTRATION Congratulations on registering to vote! We will send the form to the Board of Elections for you. If you will be 18 on or before June 26th, you will be able to vote in the upcoming Federal Primary on JUNE 26 th. You will receive a voter confirmation card and your poll site location in the mail in 3-6 weeks. If you do not receive this card, contact your borough s Board of Elections office (available in SVRD Resource Guide) or visit voting.nyc to check you registration status and to find your poll site. You do not need to present this card in order to vote. Activity 1

HOW TO GET CIVICALLY ENGAGED Volunteer to be a poll worker Join a political group Contact your local elected officials If you know you ll be away for school during elections, vote by absentee ballot Join your local community board Get involved with participatory budgeting Get involved in education councils Volunteer on a political campaign Activity 6

Activity 6

TAKE THE NEXT STEP! Take a selfie with your I Registered to Vote sticker and send it to us @nycvotes with #SVRD! Sign up for updates about elections and voting at nycvotes.nyccfb.info, or text NYCVOTES to +1 917 979 6377 to join.

SVRD PLANNING COALITION