Cities and counties are weathering the storms of the campaign season and this week’s elections, working to encourage voting, assure election integrity and safety, and battle misinformation. Above all, local governments and nonprofit groups are finding ways to build trust, which extends not only to elections, but to community affairs in general.
Local governments, nonprofits, and several states are working to encourage voting among all eligible citizens by improving accessibility and convenience, with a strong focus on reaching underrepresented groups.
- Los Angeles and Lynchburg, VA, are among the cities that make bus transit free on election day.
- Columbia, SC, found that 20% of its residents live in voting deserts and is targeting outreach to those areas.
- At least 8 states have all-mail ballots. Universal mail voting is estimated to increase turnout by 5-8%.
- Many cities in Colorado, Wisconsin and New Jersey have 24-hour dropboxes. Colorado has over 400 24-hour dropboxes and hundreds of central voting centers.
And hundreds, if not thousands, of nonprofit organizations are working to encourage voting.
- Three groups that provide customized ballot information for individuals are ActiVote, the League of Women Voters’ Vote411, and When We All Vote.
- Many organizations are working on campuses to encourage voting, including Civic Influencers and Campus Compact, and to educate school kids about voting, including ICivics and the Center for Civic Education.
Local election officials across the U.S. are also implementing various measures to ensure election integrity, transparency, and safety for the upcoming election. These efforts aim to maintain public trust in the electoral process while addressing potential challenges.
- In New Mexico, county clerks and other election officials have launched a series of public service announcements (PSAs) to inform voters about the integrity of their elections.
- Greene County, MO, has an extensive post-election audit process that involves bipartisan teams that conduct accuracy testing of voting equipment and manual recounts of selected precincts.
- Maricopa County, AZ, which experienced violent protests after the 2020 election, has fortified its counting office with multiple barriers, extra security guards, and FBI agents.
Most importantly, local governments and nonprofit organizations are working to enhance civic engagement as a way of building trust and inoculating residents against misinformation, and this is particularly important for populations that are less engaged in civic affairs, like young people, immigrants, and low-income residents.
A report released earlier this year by the University of Wisconsin showed that areas with structural barriers to civic health, like lack of investment in things like broadband, public transportation, and libraries, have lower voter turnout. These problems often have a bigger effect on marginalized populations that suffer from discrimination, redlining, and lack of services.
The effects of this disparity in civic health are reflected in a study by the Brennan Center that says that the gap in voter turnout between white and nonwhite populations has been growing over the past 16 years and is now about 18%. And barriers like voter identification requirements, language gaps, fewer polling places, and limited hours for voting, aggravate this lack of investment in civic infrastructure.
To combat these disparities in civic health, cities like Austin have deployed staff to do targeted outreach to traditionally underrepresented or marginalized populations. Boulder, CO, uses community connectors, trusted voices from the community, to do the same thing. Dubuque, IA, and Beaverton, OR, have leadership programs aimed at immigrants and people of color as a means of getting them engaged.
And to engage people generally, communities are using the tools advocated by the 13,000+ organizations in our Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map, including online surveys, citizen assemblies, block parties, “Living Room Conversations,” civic journalism, community-sponsored social media, community festivals, Porchfests, and many other ideas.
Ultimately, the key to boosting voter turnout, especially in local elections, lies in fostering a culture of civic engagement and inclusive democracy. This means making participation a regular habit, nurturing a sense of belonging, and involving all residents in tackling community challenges. By providing opportunities for meaningful input year-round—not just on election day—communities can build a stronger, more engaged democracy.
