'Indigenous DNA': Native voters help turn Arizona blue, led by grassroots workers

Libya’s Electoral Outreach Ambassadors program aims to increase women’s trust in the political process and register new voters. The female ambassadors are experienced in civil society participation but are not affiliated with any political or religious group, which is key to building trust given the country’s recent civil war. Ambassadors are trained in many tactics and left to tailor their own strategy so that it is best suited for their own district. Outreach efforts include a combination of house visits, workshops in private and public institutions, and talks with women in public spaces.

The domestic worker advocacy group, Care in Action, fell short in their goal to elect Stacey Abrams in 2018, which motivated them to mobilize an effective GOTV campaign in 2020. Over 250 of their members canvassed local neighborhoods each day, knocking on over 1 million doors. Overall, the group contacted 5.85 million voters by phone, mail, or in person. The group prioritized making connections with people historically overlooked in the political process and the member organizers make meaningful connections as canvassers because they share similar challenges and concerns as the people whose homes they visit.

In 2016, court ordered redistricting gave Navajo nation residents in San Juan County fairer representation and required in-person polling locations and translation assistance. Shortly after, the Bear Ears National Monument was reduced by 85% by the Trump administration, which motivated a huge get-out-the-vote campaign among Navajo people. With the help of nonprofits, 1,600 Navajo nation members updated their voter information or registered for the first time. This helped elect the first Navajo-majority commission in the county in 2018, which gave Native Americans a political voice they haven't had before.

In Seattle, taxpayers are funding a program called democracy vouchers, in which registered voters and other eligible residents receive $25 vouchers that they can contribute toward city council races. In this program unique to Seattle, each donor can contribute up to four vouchers, which are helping to diversify the field for grassroots candidates.

Native American voters are disproportionately impacted by restrictive voter ID laws, particularly those that require proof of address because many Native Nations do not use formal street addresses. In response, the voting rights group Four Directions helped create and implement a system that allowed tribal officials to set up at polling places and immediately generate an ID on tribal letterhead with an address based on a location that a voter pointed to on a map. The group also supported lawsuits to expand polling places, lessening the financial and travel burdens for Native American voters.

Michigan’s Genessee County jail employs two formerly incarcerated organizers who help people detained there register to vote, cast their ballots, and access resources about pivotal election measures. They also coordinate forums with political candidates for offices ranging from the Michigan Supreme Court to the Flint City Council.

In San Diego County, Pillars of the Community trained people incarcerated in local jails to become “inside organizers” who can help others incarcerated there register to vote and fill out their ballots. In all, seven inside organizers helped roughly 230 people register to vote ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

In Maine, one of only two states where people in prison retain their right to vote, the Maine State Prison branch of the NAACP engages incarcerated voters through flyers, posters, guest speakers, and group discussions about political issues. Over the past two decades, the organization has helped more than 1,000 people register to vote in Maine prisons.

Organizations such as North Dakota Native Vote stationed trained poll watchers at election sites across the state during the midterms to help assist Indigenous voters being improperly turned away. According to North Dakota Native Vote, the organization recorded only one instance of a voter not returning to complete the process after encountering issues at the polls.

To help eligible voters behind bars participate in elections, civic and volunteer groups visit jails such as the Vernon C. Bain Center with registration packets and absentee ballot request forms. The volunteers also answer questions about issues, candidates, and the voting process, and about 300 people in New York jails have registered to vote since January.