SpringfieldVOTE Coalition Launched

SPRINGFIELD— MassVOTE, a statewide, non-partisan voting rights organization, launched its newest non-profit voter education coalition late last month, SpringfieldVOTE. The initiative is aimed at building a network of non-partisan community-based organizations in Springfield to educate and engage new voters in urban communities.

As a year-round initiative, Springfield-VOTE, which is comprised of health centers, youth agencies and faith-based organizations, will work with MassVOTE to integrate voter registration and voter education materials into those organizations’ existing programs. Some of the materials that SpringfieldVOTE will use to reach new voters include voter education trainings, registration forms in multiple languages, literature pieces on contested races, bilingual ‘sample ballots’ and voter bill of rights cards provided by MassVOTE.

“We’re thrilled to be working with our partners in Springfield to create a vibrant culture of civic involvement,” said Executive Director of MassVOTE, Juan Martinez. “There’s a shift occurring in Massachusetts in how non-profits view their role in the struggle for an open and representative democracy. Voter turnout results last November and the success of our CityVOTE coalitions elsewhere prove that when non-profits work together and incorporate get-out-the-vote activities into their existing missions, great things can and do happen in our communities.”

“It’s important that everyone exercises their right to vote,” said Jerome Weiner, President of Partners for Community, a SpringfieldVOTE site. “Young people vote in small numbers and we elect leaders with only half of the population voting. Educational programs like SpringfieldVOTE can change this dynamic. Our organization, on a daily basis, works with members of our community and recognizes the power of voting to transform our city.”

MassVOTE’s flagship project, Boston-VOTE, launched in 1999, has helped to boost voter registration and voter turnout in each of the last five years. Between the 2000 and 2004 presidential election, Boston voter turnout jumped more than 9{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} (more than 17,000 new voters). And according to MassVOTE’s recent analysis of the September 2004 and March 2005 primaries, Boston experienced more than a 30{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} increase in voter turnout.

The following non-partisan organizations are members of the new SpringfieldVOTE coalition: ARISE; Boat People SOS, Inc.; Child & Family Service of Pioneer Valley; Martin Luther King Jr. Community; Partners for Community; New England Farm Workers Council; Open Pantry Community Services Inc.; Pioneer Valley Project; Spanish American Union; Specialized Home Care; Springfield Girls Club Family Center; Tapestry Health-WIC Nutrition; Urban League of Springfield, Inc; Western Mass Funding Resource Center; YMCA of Greater Springfield, Inc and Partners for Community Action.