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Voter Empowerment
Oregon Action has a long, successful history of non-partisan voter engagement.
Over the years, we have registered nearly our entire membership to vote, and
have worked to ensure that our members are informed, active participants in
the electoral process.
This year, working with our Voter Expansion Project partners, we have registered
47,000 new voters from two of our primary constituencies – people
of color and low-income people. Both constituencies are significantly under-represented
at the polls. The difference in voter participation from the poorest 20% of
Americans and the wealthiest 20% ranges between 25-30%. Because low-income
people are disproportionately less likely to vote, their opinions are under--represented,
leading to policies that reward the rich and punish the poor -- reinforcing
the belief that government does not meet their needs and further discouraging
voter participation. That's why we undertook this ambitious voter mobilization
program.
Our Voter Empowerment Project registered more than 44,000 new voters. For
a complete report on the project, please download They
Voted, a summary and
evaluation of our overall project.
There are two elements to this program: the Voter
Expansion Project which provided resources to many other organizations
throughout Oregon to strengthen their voter registraiton programs and the Leadership
Development Program which trained 100 volunteers in community organizing
and electoral skills.
In addition, other Oregon Action leaders will work to inform and mobilize
our membership in a separate electoral program. We will inform our 16,000 member
households (25,000 registered voters) how local and state candidates plan
to address the issues that matter to them and turn them out at the polls.
You can see photos from
our first leadership development training.
Could you be an OA leader?
Any Oregon Action member can become a leader by attending OA meetings
and trainings and by volunteering on our campaigns. Oregon Action is committed
to leadership development and training, because that is how we become stronger
and more effective. Please join us.
Contact us for more info
Cost of the War in Iraq
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Updated
February 25, 2007
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