There has been a proliferation of (non-party) organizations working to register and mobilize voters in the past decade or so. Thousands have sprung to formation — they exist at every level of government, they work within every geographical area, and are representative of every demographic group in our nation. Some are entirely volunteer-based, others are led by talented staff who have dedicated their careers to doing this work. All of them are doing interesting work and are creatively finding ways to engage members of their communities.
Throughout the universe of advocacy organizations, political campaigns, and voter registration and mobilization organizations, organizing techniques have been adopted as a way in which they engage their volunteers and supporters. Organizing techniques, most of which were developed in civil rights, labor, and other social movements long ago, resurged in popularity following the election of Barack Obama in 2008.
The Remaking of Politics Through Voter Registration and Voter Mobilization is the current research project of Dr. Nina Kasniunas. The goal of this research is to better understand the extent to which recently formed voter registration and mobilization organizations are adopting relational organizing techniques to engage their volunteers and supporters, and if in doing so, they are deepening those individuals’ democratic engagement. The research data will be collected through a sample of 40 or so of these organizations and through surveying the individuals who worked with them.