Some folks have asked why we're not doing voter registration. Here's why:
As a volunteer-run organization led by a small group of folks with full-time day jobs, we started FLIP NC knowing that we have limited time, and we wanted to focus on doing one thing well. That one thing? Getting out the vote among left-leaning, registered voters in flippable legislative districts.
In North Carolina, turnout among registered voters has topped out at just under 70%. That leaves nearly a third of already-registered voters who aren’t getting to the polls even when turnout is at an historic high.
Source: Old North State Politics
And the pool of registered voters who don’t vote is far more left-leaning than the pool of registered voters that consistently gets to the polls. That means we have a huge opportunity to win big just by getting registered, left-leaning voters to the polls in 2020.
Wondering why we don't just carry voter registration forms while we canvass? Well, first, registering voters has legal implications and should not be done without proper training. Preparing canvassers to register voters would require a significantly longer training process, using valuable time that our volunteers could be spending knocking on doors and talking with voters.
Second, we rarely run into folks who aren't registered, because our walk lists use targeted voter data. Some canvassers who have previously been through voter registration training do bring registration forms along when they canvass; yet they hardly ever have the opportunity to use them.
So while voter registration is certainly a critical and worthy cause, it's not FLIP NC's focus for this election. If it's yours, please consider volunteering with You Can Vote, an outstanding organization that provides voter registration training and registers voters across the state.