New NOI Report Reinforces Need for VPC Registration Programs
January 15th, 2012
Unmarried women, people of color and young people under thirty – The Rising American Electorate – now make up the majority of the U.S. population – 53 percent. But they are not registered to vote and do not turnout to vote in numbers anywhere near their majority status. Now a new report from the New Organizing Institute Education Fund — Engaging the Emerging Majority: The Case for Voter Registration in 2012 and Beyond – confirms the Voter Participation Center’s conclusion that the best way to make our democracy truly representative is to invest in sustained, ongoing voter registration efforts targeted to this Rising American Electorate (RAE).
According to the report, “Without equal voice in the electorate, the needs, interests and values of the Emerging Majority are not fairly represented in our democracy. This underrepresentation has ripple effects that impact everything from the legitimacy of institutions to the distribution of government services and responsibilities…Erasing the registration equality gap is only the first benchmark for increasing representation of the Emerging Majority in our democracy.”
The report concludes that the VPC and other groups reaching out to these demographic groups do have the power to change the composition of the electorate—and their efforts have long-term effects. “While the challenge of closing the registration equality gap is great, it is achievable. Voter registration groups have made significant progress when there has been investment of both human and financial resources in non-partisan voter registration efforts.” That is especially true in presidential election years – when more people are paying attention, turnout programs become less impactful in terms of determining who is in the electorate when compared to registration efforts.