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newsletter

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Thank you for reading NLIHC’s Our Homes, Our Votes newsletter. We are glad to have you as a partner in our NLIHC-led Our Homes, Our Votes nonpartisan candidate and voter engagement project. This newsletter will provide you with the latest news and updates related to voter engagement around affordable housing advocacy. You will receive national updates, access to resources, and information about events and what is happening on the ground.

From the Our Homes, Our Votes Field: Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp Registers New Voters on National Voter Registration Day

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Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp (WHPC), a member of the Our Homes, Our Votes Housing Providers Council, partnered with the League of Women Voters of Dane County to register new voters on National Voter Registration Day and throughout election season. Staff and volunteers set up a table with food, swag, and voting information at Kennedy Heights, an apartment complex in Madison, on National Voter Registration Day (September 20). Four new voters completed online registrations – including two new citizens and two residents who recently turned 18! The presence of a Spanish-language interpreter helped to make the event a success and ensured that voting information was accessible to the entire community.

 

Two additional residents submitted absentee ballot requests, and conversations with many other residents confirmed they were

already registered to vote and knew where to find their polling places. More

than 60 households received fliers about National Voter Registration Day, key dates for the election, and instructions about where to find more information.

 

WHPC and the League of Women Voters also joined the Kennedy Heights Fall Block Party on October 8, where six additional residents registered to vote. WHPC was awarded a grant from National Voter Registration Day to support these voter engagement activities.

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Research Update: Study Finds Renters Are Highly Underrepresented at All Levels of Government

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A new study from researchers at Boston University and the University of Georgia, “Who Represents the Renters?,” examines the extent to which renters are represented among public officials at the local, state, and federal levels of government relative to homeowners. Using property records and voter registration data, the researchers found that across each assessed category of elected office, at least 93% of officeholders either own their homes or likely own their homes. Across each type of elected office, the estimated share of renters varies from 2% to 7%. The gap between renter and homeowner representation remained consistent across local, state, and federal government offices and across demographic groups.

 

The researchers emphasized that the low rate of renter representation generates a variety of policy consequences. Many homeowners in office may lack the perspective needed to understand the struggles of renters, for example, and may also be biased towards the interests of fellow homeowners. Read NLIHC’s full summary here, and read the complete study here

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Visit the Our Homes, Our Votes Online Store!

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Show off your commitment to housing justice in style with Our Homes, Our Votes campaign merchandise! Our online store offers T-shirts, sweatshirts, buttons, hats, stickers, and other accessories, with messages in both English and Spanish. Visit NLIHC’s Shopify page to browse the full collection and place your order. 

External Events

 

In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)…

  • The Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness and the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness hosted an Alaska Housing & Homelessness Gubernatorial Town Hall on Friday, October 7. Gubernatorial candidates discussed their plans to address housing and homelessness issues. The recording can be found here.

  • Lift to Rise and the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH) hosted a virtual candidates’ forum, “Housing Affordability in the Coachella Valley,” on October 12. The forum featured both candidates running for California Assembly District 47. The recording can be found here.

Upcoming Events...

  • The Fargo Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness will host a virtual training, “Lunch & Learn: Empowering Voters Experiencing Homelessness in North Dakota,” on Thursday, October 20, at 12:00 pm CT. The event will discuss how service providers can encourage, empower, and organize the people they serve to exercise their right to vote. Register here.

  • PolicyLink is hosting a two-part webinar series, “Housing Justice on the Ballot: Growing the Movement through Electoral Victories,” that focuses on the successes and challenges of housing-related ballot initiatives. The second webinar, “The Critical Leadership of Tenant Organizers & Grassroots Organizations,” will be held on Thursday, October 20, at 7:30 pm ET, and registration information can be found here.

  • Vote Early Day is hosting a series of webinars that guide partner organizations to develop activation plans, implement best practices, and build on the momentum of National Voter Registration Day. Visit this page to preview the full list of topics and register for each webinar.

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Do you have an event you would like us to feature? Email ourhomes@nlihc.org!

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