CVH Electoral Summary 2004 - 2006

General Goals

• Increase voter turnout in targeted areas (Targeted areas = Low income communities & communities with historically low voter turnout)

• Build capacity of the organization and build organizing campaigns

The Numbers: Three Year Results

• Voters identified: 7233

• Total voters contacted: 12,049

• 2536 Registration

• 2280 Surveys

• 52 Election Districts

• 223 Member Participants

YEAR 1 / 2004: EXPERIMENTAL YEAR

GOALS:

DEVELOP:

• OUTREACH STRATEGIES• MESSAGING • TECHNOLOGY

Lessons Learned:• Registration was ineffective use of

time & resources

• Public Site outreach not effective for targeting districts and repetitive contacts. (Must be door to door in targeted election districts)

• Density is opportunity and challenge

• Effective in voter turnout but relationship building & leadership development was a challenge (Built electoral project but not the organizing capacity)

• Staff Outreach Serves as an effective training program to train organizers

South Bronx 14 Election Districts

What was done?

Voter Registration

Voter Surveys

Repetitive Door-To-Door Contacts

YEAR 2 / 2005: Moving Toward More Effective Work

• Two-armed project• Volunteer Project with 2004 electoral

base• Paid staff outreach in East Harlem• 33 Community Participants in

Outreach Project: 792 Contacts• 2131 New Contacts in East Harlem • New Organizing Project: Public

Housing

Lessons Learned• “Next” cycle work is effective• More focused target base made the

transition to organizing work more effective

• Much shorter timeline to engage electoral base

• Reasonable expectations

DEVELOP MEMBER-LED VOTER OUTREACH

WITH 2004 ELECTORAL BASE

IN BRONX

STAFF RUN OUTREACH EAST HARLEM

NEW BASE

Education & Repetition

Voter Message:

Education is the most critical component

of the message!• Non-partisan anti-

candidate message• Political education

tied into real issues• Electoral Education• Issue ID

Voter Outreach Strategy• 6 – 9 Contacts• 3 face to face, 3 phone, 3

mail• Repetitive Message

Resources• Voter Rolls from city

Board of Elections• Outside TA to generate

walking lists

2006

Goals: • Effective Voter Work• Develop Community

Led Outreach Project • Develop Concrete

Organizing Skills and Public Identity as Leaders

Goals:• Effective Voter work• Build base the PH

Campaign• Expand geographic scope

of electoral project and build on voter list

2005 East Harlem Base

Member

Outreach Project

Staff New Voter Outreach in

West/Central Harlem NYCHA Housing

2927 Total Contacts33 Member Volunteers

8 District CaptainsTARGETED VOTER

ALL REGISTERED VOTERS IN 26 ED’S IN 2 STATE SENATE DISTRICTS

WHY ALL REG VOTERS?• Registration is high (75%+) & voting t/o is

very low (22 – 27%)

• The “chronic voter” is also a targeted voter because they are politically engaged & more likely to get involved in the organizing work.

• Need to talk to enough registered voters to be able to make an impact because of size of districts

• No other institution or party is doing GOTV work in targeted areas

Message

• Very focused constituency led to very focused message

• One race (governors)

• Vote to raise visibility on issues not vote for candidates

• Opportunity for Political Education on Public Housing Policy

• Issue ID for organizing campaign

• Opportunity to make a political act (invited to drop off pledge cards)

LESSONS LEARNED

• More focused message resonated

• Effective in Building Campaign

• Long Term Work Builds Capacity