Meet with Local Elections officials

Local Elections Officials (LEOs) are responsible for conducting elections in your community from maintaining voter registration rolls to producing ballots and supervising poll workers. Local elections officials have different names in different parts of the country, but they generally report up to the Secretary of State’s office or a State Board of Elections. Find your LEO here https://www.fvap.gov/search offices.

LEOs are an invaluable resource for information about voting in your community and state and can be helpful in organizing events or providing registration and early voting materials. Meet with LEOs well in advance of major deadlines and Election Day to ensure you have up-to-date information and to establish a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship.

What LEOs Can Do with You

LEOs provide many election-related services. Here are a few resources they may offer:

Attending campus events such as move-in days or organization fairs to register voters and answer questions,
Identifying and publicizing the appropriate street addresses and mailing addresses students should use for on-campus housing,
Working with student government/organizations for registration opportunities throughout the year and providing training for voter registration volunteers,
Providing voter education presentations, such as bringing voting machines to campus,
Informing voters about deadlines, ID laws, residency requirements, polling locations, early voting, etc., and
Recruiting and training students to serve as poll workers during elections.

Meeting with LEOs

1. Does your institution have an existing relationship with your LEO?

A representative from your campus may already have a relationship with your LEO, possibly someone in student affairs or government relations.
If they don’t, ask them to join you for the first meeting with your LEO.

2. Know Your Goals

Your goals may include voter registration, voting, or obtaining information about your district’s deadlines, candidates, or polling locations.
Make sure it’s a specific goal or plan. For example, rather than a goal of “Increase voter registration numbers” it is better to be specific like, “Increase voter registration numbers by holding three voter registration drives.”

3. Plan Your Meeting

Base your introductory questions on your goals.
At Campus Vote Project, we have experience helping students prepare for meetings with LEOs— contact us to schedule a planning session.

4. Contact Your Local Elections Office

Follow up with a thank you note and updates on your project.
Tell them when you are hosting events or plan to submit large numbers of voter registration forms.
Connect LEOs with your administrative contact to organize events and exchange information.

Staying in touch and sharing information is the best way to maintain a good relationship and ensure your LEOs are available to help if problems arise.

Example Questions to Ask Your LEOs:

If students live in campus housing or other non-traditional housing, what address information do they need to put on the registration form?
Do you need an excuse to vote by absentee ballot?
Do all students who live on campus vote at the same polling place? If not, can you help us identify who votes where?
Do you need more poll workers for student-heavy polling places? How can students get involved?
What are the most common problems students face when they try to register or vote in [your town/county/state]?
Is early voting available? Where can students vote early?

If you have questions or are experiencing problems voting, call the Election Protection Hotline and speak with a volunteer to get help.

Meet with Local Elections officials

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