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Resources
and information
Voter-Reg-In-A-Box
The ever
popular Voter-Reg-In-a-Box will once again be available for
nonprofits looking to bring voter registration into your office.
This simple kit provides all the resources you need to get
a voter registration drive going from inside your front doors.
Included in the kit:
- Voter
Registration Applications
- A Citizen's
Guide to Voting and Voter Registration (available in English,
Hmong, Somali, and Spanish)
- Americana
pen holder and "tchotcke" to draw attention to
your voter registration materials
- A snazzy
box to keep it all organized!
 Place
your order via email (please note in the email if
you have special language needs) or call Joshua Winters
at 651-642-1904 x250.
LIST
ENHANCEMENT
What
is list enhancement and why would I want to do it?
List enhancement
is a way of "upgrading" your list with additional
information about the people on it. The simplest example of
this, and the one that is typically used by organizations
interested in voter engagement, is by adding information about
an individual's voter file. By adding this information, you
can see whether or not a person voted in the last four years
of elections (though you may not see for what party, candidate,
etc.). This information is extremely valuable for organizations
that want to leverage limited time and resources in the most
efficient way possible. Once their list is enhanced, organizations
can then spend their resources on those individuals who are
unlikely to vote in the next election based on past behavior.
So
how do I go about enhancing my organizations list?
There are
a variety of ways to enhance your organization's list. The
route you choose to go will depend on several factors: the
condition of your list, your organization's level of technical
expertise, how much date you would like to add to your list,
and the size of your budget for purchasing these services.
MPP has compiled the following options for enhancing your
list. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but a good
starting place for getting your list in shape! Please let
MPP know if you are aware of additional list enhancement resources
that should be included here by contacting josh@mncn.org.
Official
Data Sources:
Minnesota
Secretary of State
www.sos.state.mn.us
The Secretary
of State's office can supply the official state voter file
for a minimal cost. This file is sometimes poorly (or inaccurately)
documented, which can make it hard to use for some projects.
This option will work best for those organizations familar
with list enhancement, those that need no technical assistance,
and those that feel comfortable working with raw data.
Vote
File Vendors:
Vote File
Vendors will generally have cleaner data than the Secretary
of State and can sometimes provide some basic levels of technical
support. They are unlikely to do the data management work
for a coalition of groups, but a large organization that wishes
to match their own list - and that has their list in pretty
good shape - may find this an attractive option for getting
their list enhanced with voter file information. The following
vote file vendors have worked with the Minnesota Voter File:
Voter
Contact Services (VCS)
bbs.vcsnet.com
Blaemire
Communications
www.blaemire.com
Technical
Service Providers:
These
companies will work with an organization to manage the process
of enhancing their lists or they will work with coalitions
doing a list enhancement project. They may provide your organization
or coalition with a report on the results of the enhancement,
training for your organization or participants in a coalition,
and the matching of data against additional databases (such
as phone numbers, change of address, etc.).
theDatabank
www.thedatabank.com
Astro
Data Services
www.voterlist.com
Nonprofits
Who Provide List Enhancement:
Wellstone
Action!
Wellstone Action! convenes the Civic Engagement Table to provide
list enhancement to 501(c)(3) organizations. This is a great
opportunity for any organization that wishes to enhance their
lists and do more sophisticated voter engagement work. For
more information and/or to learn how to participate, contact
Martin Wera at martin@wellstone.org
or call 651-414-6015.
Organizations
with Experience Using Enhanced Lists:
The following
groups have done and continue to do list enhancement for their
organizations and in coalitions. They are worth contacting
to gain more information about their experience with these
projects. In addition, they may be willing to partner with
your organization in their list enhancement program to help
reduce the costs for all involved.
Minnesota
League of Conservation Voters
MNLCV has coordinated environmental list enhancement projects
for many years.
Contact: Marty Broan - 612-767-2444
OutFront
Minnesota
Monica Meyer is the state liason for the Gill Foundation's
Democracy Project - a list enhancement project for groups
in the GLBT community.
Contact: Monica Meyer - 612-822-0127
Minnesota
Political Parties
| Minnesota
DFL
255 E Plato Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55107
Ph: 651-293-1200
Fax: 651-251-6325
www.dfl.org
|
Republican
Party of Minnesota
525 Park St Ste 250
St. Paul, MN 55103
Ph: 651-222-0022
Fax: 651-224-4122
www.mngop.org |
| Minnesota
Independence Party
PO Box 40495
St. Paul, MN 55104
Ph: 651-487-9700
Fax: 651-917-7145
www.mnip.org |
Green
Party of Minnesota
621 W Lake St #205
Mpls, MN 55408
Ph: 612-871-4585
www.mngreens.org
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Minnesota
Secretary of State's Office
180 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1299
TTY: 1-800-627-3529
Minnesota Secretary of
State
Minnesota
counties
Directory
of 87 Minnesota County Officers, including contact information
Who
are your elected officials?
- Call the MN House of Representatives
Public Information Office: 651-296-2146 or 800-657-3550
- Call the MN Senate Information
Office: 651-296-0504 or 651-296-2887
- On the web: Minnesota
Secretary of State Polling Place Finder will let you
know what district you live in.
Support
Organizations
Nonprofit
Voter Engagement Network: supports nonprofit organizations
in doing nonpartisan
voter engagement through
resources, technical support, and materials, in 9 states across
the country.
Alliance for Justice:
through their Nonprofit Advocacy Project, AFJ helps nonprofits
understand and utilize the laws that govern their participation
in the policy process.
League of Women
Voters of Minnesota: a multi-issue,
nonpartisan, grassroots volunteer organization working to better
understand and influence the issues that affect Minnesotans.
Questions? Comments? Contact Maureen Ramirez, maureen@mncn.org
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