Dear , When do we have elections in Virginia? Every year. What is the most important year for state policy work? The year in which every House and Senate seat is up for election. This year - 2023! Only one year out of a four-year cycle is every House and Senate seat up. When are the districts most competitive? The year after redistricting. This year - 2023. When do we have the lowest turnout of voters? The year before the Presidential election. Unless we do something about it, this year – 2023. In the presidential election years from 2000 to 2020, registered Virginia voters voted at rates from 67 percent (2000) to 75 percent (2020). The years preceding, from 1999 to 2019, when every Virginia House and Senate seat was up for election, voter turnout rates varied from a low of 28 percent (2011) to 42 percent (2019). In most years, turnout during this critical race for Virginians is half that of the Presidential election years. We need to change this. We need to get people registered, get them to vote and make sure they know how candidates stand on VICPP issues. The first step to our civic engagement work is training and equipping regional teams that will work on registering voters and getting them to the polls. We are hosting a free training for VICPP volunteers and leaders in Richmond, on May 31, 2023. Colleagues from Faith in Action will help lead the training and share best practices from faith communities around the country. We’ll work together to develop plans that will work in your community. Register today for the training and help get your friends and neighbors to the polls. REGISTER HERE There will be other opportunities for individual and congregational engagement to encourage voting, but if you feel called to be a leader in strengthening our democracy, please join us on May 31st.
Sincerely, Kim Bobo
Executive Director
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