Whether we are registering them to sign up to vote by mail in the middle of the pandemic or getting out their vote, we are going where other campaigns don’t, bringing new districts and areas into play.

What to expect: You will join young folks from across the country for an open mic, quick phonebanking / textbanking training, and a Virtual Phone Bank / Textbank on Zoom. Throughout, you’re invited to meet fellow phone bankers, share success stories, and give us feedback.

What you need: a Google Voice account to use either on your phone or computer and access to Zoom.

Sign up and you will receive a confirmation email the day before the event from us with all the information you need to get started.

If you have any questions, please contact campusorganizing@reclaimourvote.org.

*Though this event is primarily aimed at students, all are welcome to attend!

Reclaim Our Vote is a nonpartisan campaign that fights voter suppression by registering and mobilizing vulnerable voters of color in statewide elections.

We reach out to voters of color in rural areas by phonebanking, writing postcards, textbanking, and geofencing, and in doing so, enact structural change. Most recently, we helped increase Virginia’s statewide turnout in November’s General Assembly elections by 11% by making 55,000 calls to voters, mailing 180,000 postcards, and developing a Give a Ride to the Polls app. The newly elected state legislature has since then created an independent commission to redraw Virginia’s congressional district lines. The state will never be gerrymandered again, regardless of which political party is in power.

We are a registered 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization. To quote our founder, “we do not encourage people to vote for any particular person or party; we simply encourage people to vote!” We are led by people of color for people of color.

Voter suppression and racial gerrymandering discount the weight of people of color’s votes and thus their political power. They are two of the hardest-hitting forms of institutionalized racism and can only be fought through increased voter turnout. If you don't live in a state with voter suppression, this is a great way to leverage your privilege of not having to fight for your vote to help those that do.

In the U.S, there are 16.6 million inactive/deregistered voters of color, many from voter-suppression states.  

Voters in voter-suppression states face some common barriers to voting:

• Felony disenfranchisement – impacts 7 million voters

• Voters de-activated/de-registered for not voting

• Strict Photo ID laws

• No same day registration/No automatic voter registration

• Voter intimidation at the polls

• Closed polling locations with no advance notice

Right now, we are contacting over half a million young (18 - 40 years old) voters of color in the six states along the Southern Black Belt that have strict voter ID laws and a Senate race this year:

• Texas (38 electoral votes)

• North Carolina (16 electoral votes)

• Georgia (16 electoral votes)

• Arizona (11 electoral votes)

• Alabama (9 electoral votes)

• Mississippi (9 electoral votes)

We’re helping them access the resources they need in order to do so, such as a voter ID and a ride to the polls.

Our voters are often poor, rural, face a technological divide, and have been abandoned by political campaigns. One of our volunteers called a woman last week who had never received a phone call from a political campaign despite having the same number for over 15 years!

Our phonebanks are particularly effective because we contact voters who are overlooked by traditional campaigns. We inform and empower them to use their vote as their voice. We go where other campaigns don’t, bringing new districts and areas into play.