Voter Engagement

Immigrant civic engagement is an increasingly critical issue for the United States. Immigrant civic engagement may take various forms, but naturalization, voting registration and voter turnout are key measures or benchmarks.

This report examines immigrant civic participation in terms of immigrants’ current engagement, the capacity of states to provide naturalization and voting registration, and the impact that immigrants are having on the adult citizen population in theU.S.read more >>

Each year, the Hispanic population—and with it the Hispanic electorate—continues to grow across the nation. Heading into the redistricting process, that growth plays a role both in helping states gain seats and in preventing states that lose seats from experiencing greater losses. In recently released 2010 Census population totals, minorities accounted for roughly 70% of the growth in the U.S. voting-age population in the last decade, with Latinos alone accounting for 40% of that growth.read more >>

In January 2003, the United States Census Bureau first reported that Latinos had become the largest minority group in the United States and, in May 2008, the Bureau reported that the nation’s Latino population had reached 15.1 percent of the estimated total U.S. population of 301.6 million. Latinos were then the largest minority group in 20 states, and they were also reported to be the fastest-growing minority group.read more >>

Research has shown that nonpartisan Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) is among the most effective ways to increase voter turnout. IVE groups train community members to reach out to their peers in a continuous, ongoing effort that increases the number of voters and leads to policy changes. The most effective IVE organizations add new people to the voter registration rolls, educate voters and election issues, make sure new and unlikely voters actually cast their ballots, and ensure that misinformation and intimidation don't inhibit people from voting.read more >>

Over the past several years, technology has changed the fields of civic engagement, organizing, and advocacy in unprecedented ways. The proliferation of online social tools enables organizers to create social change by empowering their members and lowering the cost of facilitating group action. Increased availability of voter data and the tools to use it have led to innovations in targeting and experiment-informed programs. read more >>

High school voter registration programs, a national trend with broad support, are
an effective means of increasing electoral participation among young people.1 To
address low turnout among youth, a number of states, counties, and cities across the
country have adopted laws, administrative rules, and mandates to increase youth
participation through high school voter registration programs.

To assess the degree to which high school voter registration programs have beenread more >>

Latinos are fed up with congressional delays over comprehensive immigration reform. The time has come for President Obama and the Democrats to man up in the lame-duck session and at least fight to pass the Dream Act.

Otherwise, the Democrats risk Latino withdrawal, rebellion - or both. This is a threat and a demand to be taken seriously from the Americans who best understand that the immigration system doesn't work, which is why so many people are here illegally. read more >>

The Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy highlighted one of FCCP's members, Access Strategies Fund, in a report describing how small family foundations make major impacts by funding public policy change.read more >>

The New Organizing Institute recently released a report, Lost Voters, Lost Votes:  When Citizens Don't Know Where to Vote, Democracy Loses highlighting the effects of polling place changes and consolidation on cread more >>

Civic Pathways Out of Poverty and Into Opportunity is the product of nearly two years of conversation, research, deliberation and writing.read more >>