Registering New Citizens on Day One

The picture above was taken on 08/31/11 following a naturalization
ceremony at Boston's TD Garden. See more pictures from the event.

In October, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) revised its guidelines on voter registration at naturalization ceremonies. Now, for the first time ever, USCIS has committed to providing new citizens the opportunity to register at every administrative naturalization ceremony in the country.

This is incredible news! While many elections officials and nonprofits have worked to bring voter registration to naturalization ceremonies, this is the first unifying directive. Demos has summarized what this means for all involved parties in "Voter Registration for New Americans":

• New citizens will be encouraged and able to register to vote as soon as they become citizens. This will help close the registration gap between native born and naturalized citizens who are registered at 71.8% and 60.5%, respectively.
• State and local elections officials will be called upon to increase their activities at ceremonies and dedicate staff time to cover as many events as possible. 
• Voter registration groups, as long as they are nonpartisan, can provide voter registration assistance at naturalization ceremonies, complementing elections officials' efforts and filling existing gaps.
• USCIS will undertake responsibility for ensuring that all new citizens receive voter registration forms when neither elections officials nor registration groups can be present and will work to make voter registration part of the naturalization ceremony.

With this new strategy in place, it will be exciting to see how many new citizens are registered at naturalization ceremonies in 2012!

A Cause for Celebration: Voter Registration!

Yesterday Nonprofit VOTE joined MIRA and MassVOTE in registering over 1,000 new American citizens to vote following a naturalization ceremony in Boston.

This effort kicked off our annual celebration of voter registration, which we traditionally highlight in September. We choose to focus on voter registration in September because many states have voter registration deadlines in early October, up to 30 days before an election.

Although nonprofits can register voters year-round--particularly when registration is integrated into ongoing services--focusing on registration in September allows organizations to take advantage of heightened interest and visibility around an upcoming election.

Cities across the country, and even some states, are holding elections this fall and our webinar last month addressed how nonprofits can successfully increase participation rates during these critical local and municipal elections.

Visit our website for ideas and resources on how to conduct effective registration efforts. Stay tuned this month as we debut new voter registration tools and tips!

(The photo above was taken August 31, 2011 by Nonprofit VOTE staff.)

Michigan Registers New Citizens

On May 11 in Dearborn, Michigan, the U.S. welcomed a new cohort of citizens into the American family. Representatives from the Secretary of State's office staffed an on-site voter registration table, allowing newly naturalized citizens to register following the ceremony.

Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said "I encourage [Michigan's newest citizens] to take a few moments to register to vote so that they can exercise their right to vote and have their voice be heard at the ballot box."

Nonprofit VOTE and our partners have participated in organization-sponsored efforts to register new citizens following naturalization ceremonies, but it is particularly heartening to see Michigan's top election official proactively registering eligible voters after citizenship ceremonies!

These ceremonies are a natural venue for voter registration outreach because they gather together a group of newly eligible--but unregistered--citizens ripe for the registering. In addition to having volunteers or staff on-site to register voters, organizers should also include a voter registration form in the paperwork packet each new citizen receives so that no eligible voter is overlooked and everyone has the opportunity to participate.

Great job Michigan, we hope other states follow your lead on this!

(The photograph was taken during a September 2010 naturalization ceremony at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.)

Tweet