Non-Partisan Initiative Aims to Assist Over a Million Renters Participate in 2020 Elections

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is teaming up with leading affordable housing providers nationwide to assist the country’s lowest-income and most disenfranchised people participate in the democratic process this November through the Our Homes, Our Votes 2020 campaign. The campaign is a nonpartisan voter engagement effort focused on increasing voter registration and turnout among low-income residents through a combination of voter education, registration, and mobilization.

“With the additional challenges presented this year due to the pandemic,ensuring low-income renters can vote is more important than ever,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “Housing providers are in a unique position to overcome these and other long-standing challengesby making sure their tenantscan register and by helping to coordinate access to absentee ballots or polling locations.”

Our Homes, Our Votes 2020 has engaged more than 45housing providers representing over 500,000 units of affordable housing in 46 states and DCwith a goal of bringing together owners and property managersrepresenting over one million eligible voters before election day. Leading participants include Jonathan Rose Companies, National Housing Trust, WinnCompanies, POAH, McCormack Baron Salazar, The Community Builders, NRP Group, Mercy Housing, Dominium, NHP Foundation, National Church Residences, and Enterprise Residential. A full list of Participants is included below.

“Our residents and their communities are enhanced when they actively participate in their local, state and national elections,” said Jonathan F.P. Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies. “As building owners and managers, we are committed to supporting our residents in registering to vote, becoming informed about the issues that affect them, and safely voting.” 

Census data confirm that low income voters are registered and vote at lower rates than higher income citizens. There are many reasons for this disparity in voter participation. Low income people face several challenges to voting such as less-flexible work schedules that may not allow time off to vote; more difficulty obtaining legal identification; transportation impediments that may make getting to the polls more difficult; and, a greater likelihood of misinformation about their rights as voters.Additionally, systemic racism has made it difficult for people of color to vote. These barriers can include voter intimidation, polling locations that are more distant in low-income areas, understaffed polling sites leading to excruciatingly long lines, and language accessibility of ballots.

“A functioning democracy depends on robust voter registration and turnout,” said Priya Jayachandran, president of the National Housing Trust.“Residents of affordable housing, including people of color, seniors, and persons with disabilities can ensure their voices are heard in the upcoming election by voting. The National Housing Trust is committed to helping residents overcome barriers to voting and is proud to participate in the Housing Providers Council in support of Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020.”

NLIHC's Our Homes, Our Votes 2020campaign will provide nonpartisan training and assistance to resident service coordinators and property management staff working to increase voter registration and getting out the vote.Participants will be providednonpartisan materials such as posters, flyers, newsletter articles, mailings and voter guides that can be co-branded by each participant. Our Homes, Our Votes 2020 will also feature the efforts of participants in social media, blog posts, and e-newsletters to amplify their work.The Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020campaign has developed strong partnerships with organizations that can provide assistance in such areas as language access at the ballot, voter-rights protections, and accessing voter IDs where needed. Because election laws and deadlines vary considerably by state, Our Homes Our Votes: 2020 leaders are teaming up with organizations in over 15 states to organize a series Zoom calls where participants can learn about available voting information and resources by state and coordinate with each other on next steps. A full list of State Partners is included below.

Affordable housing owners and property managers interested in participating can sign up here. Participation is free, and the only requirement is that participants commit to engage with residents in a non-partisan manner and follow all election laws.

ABOUT NLIHC

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is a national research, policy analysis and advocacy, communications, and organizing/mobilization nonprofit dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable, accessible and decent homes.

PARTICIPANTS

ACTION-Housing
Avanath Capital Management
Beacon Communities
Bridging the Gap Development
Church Housing Corporation
City of Philadelphia – Dept of Behavior Health
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
Columbia Residential
Community Housing Resource Partners
Dominium
EAH Housing
Edgewood Management/Vantage Management
Enterprise Residential
Envolve Communities
Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority
Habitat America
Hope Communities
John Stewart Company
Jonathan Rose Companies
L+M Development Partners/C+C Management
Landex Development
LDG Development
Linc Housing
Maiker Housing Partners
McCormack Baron Salazar
Mercy Housing
The Michaels Organization/Better Tomorrows
National Church Residences
National Housing Trust
NHP Foundation/Operation Pathways
The NRP Group
Peabody Properties
Perry Rose
Preservation Management
Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH)
Richman Property Services
Schochet Companies
Silver Street Development Corp
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp
TESCO Properties
The Community Builders
Volunteers of America
WinnCompanies
Wishcamper Companies
Woda Cooper Companies