2020 is shaping up to be a huge year for voter turnout in the United States. But voter registration and turnout remains low for 18-25 year olds while undergraduate STEM majors are even less likely to vote than many of their peers.
The good news is that we can help.
In 2018, many 500 Women Scientists pods and members were active in getting out the vote in their communities. We’re excited to build on that this year by sharing what we’ve learned and identifying ways we can make the most of our time and energy between now and November.
Please check out our resource guide for registering and mobilizing voters. And join us on the 500WS Pods Slack under #2020 to share what you’re doing!
The guide covers some ideas for getting started, resources for voter registration and mobilization, and links to groups that are doing a ton of work, including through powerful official channels on campus, to get out the vote. We’ve also covered some basics dos and don’ts for voter registration activities conducted through non-profit groups like 500WS.
And one final note: the general election might be months away, but now’s a great time to get started with voter registration. Amid impeachment and the U.S. presidential primary, people are paying a ton of attention to what’s happening in U.S politics. And record-breaking turnout in 2018 — the highest we’ve seen since women won the right to vote in the United States — might just be the beginning!
Stay tuned for more as we update this guide and as other science groups kick into gear.
Take the Science Rising Challenge: The Union of Concerned Scientists, SACNAS, and other Science Rising partners have launched their own voter registration campaign, and you can be part of it! Be sure to check out their messaging toolkit, and tag them alongside @500WS for your campaigns and tweets!