Moms across the nation and those who love them continue to step up and show up by signing petitions, sharing personal stories, reaching out to leaders, making phone calls to Congress, and so much more. These actions came together to create a wave of hope, resilience and the promise of a future where everyone can thrive.

With elections just around the corner, it’s critical to have the resources, ideas, and information to ensure your voice and the voices of our community are heard through the most powerful of civic tools, the right to vote. 

According to the US Census Bureau in 2024, approximately 26.6% percent of the citizen voting-age population was not registered to vote.That’s 1 in 4 American citizens of voting age! Whether that be due to apathy or access, ensuring that folks are registered to vote, that their voter information is correct and updated, that they are able to cast their vote and have their vote be counted, are critical to ensuring a robust democracy, where every day people are actively heard and have a say in process that shapes our nation and our lives. 

Below are resources and information around voter registration and getting out the vote so that voices that prioritize and care about our families and our country are heard loud and clear at the ballot box and at the polls!

VOTING INFORMATION 101

TO BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ELECTIONS YOU MUST: 

• Be U.S. citizens (some areas allow non-citizens to vote in local elections only)

• Meet your state’s residency requirements (You can be and still meet these requirements if you are unhoused.)

• Be 18 years old on or before Election Day

In almost every state, you can register to vote before you turn 18 if you will be 18 by Election Day. Make sure to be registered to vote by your state’s voter registration deadline. 

*North Dakota does not require voter registration, but you do need to have a valid form of identification that can be used for voting.

FIND LINKS TO NATIONAL MAIL VOTER REGISTRATION HERE! (Includes links in multiple languages)

VOTER OUTREACH

VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES

• Organizing a voter registration drive and directly registering and informing voters is a powerful tool to drive political and policy changes you want to see,

• It’s important to know that voter registration efforts have different legal parameters depending on your state. To find out specifics on what is allowed or not regarding voter registration drives in your state, check out: https://www.fairelectionscenter.org/voter-registration-drive-guides

MAKING A VOTING PLAN

• Check your registration and/or register to vote:

  • It only takes 2 minutes to register. You can register by using this simple online tool via Vote411: https://www.vote411.org/register

  • Be sure to check your state’s registration deadline. Some states allow you to register in person on Election Day or during early voting, while others require that you register in advance. You can also check your registration to make sure you’re registered in your state!

  • Check your registration here: https://www.vote411.org/check-registration

• Get informed about your early voting options (if your state has any)

• Many states offer absentee, mail-in voting or in person early voting options. See what your state allows here: https://www.vote411.org/select-state

• Explore your day-of-voting options

  • Find out where you can vote in person, what voting machines are used, and what you need to bring with you on Election Day. You can find out important information such as where to find your polling place and learning what’s on your ballot by going to the League of Women Voters US website: https://www.vote411.org/

• Research candidates

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your area stand on the issues on child care, and about the ballot measures on your ballot by checking out this voters’ guide: https://www.vote411.org/ballot. You can hear directly from the candidates before you cast your vote! (Note: not every area will have information on where their candidate stands on all issues, especially for more local races)

• Share your Plans!

  • Tell your friends and family what you’ve learned in the process of making your voting plan and encourage them to make their own. Then, cast your ballot and let your voice be heard! Also did you know that having a voting plan ahead of time makes it more likely that someone will actually vote?

  • Post to social media your pledge to vote and/or after you voted!

  • Important Note: In some states, taking photos of your in person ballot or voting booth may not be allowed, it is always important to know your respective state laws.

VOTER SUPPRESSION

Voting laws can vary widely depending on your state. Unfortunately, voter suppression is very much a reality in too many states.

In 2013 the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 law that required certain states and localities with a history of discrimination against minority voters to get changes cleared by the federal government before they went into effect. Immediately after Section 5 of the voting rights act was overturned, Republican lawmakers in Texas and North Carolina – two states previously covered by the law – moved to enact new voter ID laws and other restrictions.

Since 2008, states across the country have passed measures to make it harder for Americans—particularly Black people, the elderly, students, and people with disabilities—to exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot. These measures include cuts to early voting, voter ID laws, and purges of voter rolls.

VOTER ID LAWS

• Some states unfortunately require voter IDs as a tool of voter suppression, specifically targeting the voting rights of communities of color, people with disabilities, young people, and justice involved individuals.

• To find out what voter ID laws may or may not exist in your state, you can check out these resources:

  • VoteRiders Protect The Right to Vote

  •  NCSL's (National Conference of State Legislatures) Overview of Voter ID Laws

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE FACING VOTING ISSUES 

• First of all, you have the right to vote. Voter intimidation is a federal crime.

Check out the Advancement Project’s What to do if you experience intimidation at the polls.

• Do not be intimidated if your vote is challenged

  • Voter challenger laws vary from state to state. In most states, challengers must provide election officials at the polls with a valid reason. Challenges cannot be made for discriminatory reasons such as race, ethnicity, language ability or gender. Unless the challenger presents affirmative proof that a voter is not qualified, election officials must consider a voter’s registration valid.

• Alert the municipal Clerk or Election Officials at polling locations

  • On Election Day, administrators will be present at polling sites to oversee election operations. In the case that you experience or witness intimidations at the polls, notify your local election official at your polling place or call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683.

• Document the conduct 

• Don’t confront the intimidator

GOTV

• GOTV stands for “get out the vote” and signifies a concerted effort to register voters and increase voter turnout during elections. 

• Tips to get out the vote - Changing habits and changing minds

  • Direct voter contact is key to increasing voter turnout – especially among young people and first-time voters

  • Research has consistently shown that identity precedes action for GOTV. In other words, the key to getting someone to vote is to first get them to identify as a voter. It is far more effective to always ask people to “be a voter” rather than to ask them to vote. Once they claim that identity, they’re more likely to follow through. Since identity precedes action, we should never call people non-voters, low-propensity voters, etc. — labels which reinforce the opposite identity from what we’re trying to instill. Refer instead to target audiences as high-potential voters.

• Empowerment messages — e.g., “Together, We Make the Future.”” — consistently perform well in turning out voters, better than fear-based appeals like “vote like your life depends on it” or “if we don’t vote, we could lose everything.” We should also emphasize what we are for more than what we are against. Wherever possible, prompt people to share their detailed plan for how they will be a voter: what time of day they’ll head to polls, where they’ll drop their mail-in ballot, who they’ll bring with them, etc

• One key element of successful GOTV efforts is persistence. Getting someone to create a new habit is hard, and frequent reminders help immensely. Whether mail, digital, or SMS, campaigns should send at least one follow-up to the initial outreach, and more if possible, to chase voters and reach them with multiple points of contact. Research has shown even a single follow-up can as much as double the campaign’s impact!

• For any GOTV effort, make sure to make a calendar of important dates, such as voter registration deadlines, early voting, when vote by mail ballots go out, and National Voter Registration Day. Based on this, make a timeline of voter outreach and engagement.

FUN GOTV IDEAS

• Check out some of the fun voting centered toolkits and ideas from MomsRIsing!

  • Party & Power Your Vote: Mini-Voting Party Toolkit!

  • Crafts, activities, and ideas to celebrate voting with your kids

  • Kid's Voting-Inspired Reading List

• Treasure Boxes - Treasure boxes are a box of activities for kids, like easy crafts, fidget toys, and fun knickknacks to have them amped up to stay in line and give kids something to do as they wait in polling locations around locations. Check legality of doing something like this in your state and implementing something like does incur costs on those organizing.

• Chalking - Chalk art is a creative way to get the entire family involved and also a fun event idea. Just choose a location, get a few supplies, some snacks, pick a location (your driveway, a local school or park, or a public hotspot with lots of foot traffic, just make sure to check if you need to get any permissions as appropriate)

  • You can chalk messages encouraging people to vote and chalk child care messaging to go along with outdoor child care activation events where it is allowed

• Ideas for what to draw:

  • A voting plan hopscotch asking how will you vote and having different voting options in squares (vote by mail, in person, early voting), how you will get there (bus, walk, car etc), and how you will celebrate (dancing, long nap, a high five)

  • I need grown ups to vote because…[and fill in the reason!]

Happy Voting!