Voting our Values
What is Voting our Values (VoV)?
STAND was created on the premise that our core values – social justice, economic opportunity, and human rights for all – are values that most people inherently share and would support; the key to gaining that support is to help people become educated about government and key issues, engaged in the civic process, and empowered to act. We keep in mind these words by Thomas Jefferson: “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”
As we approach the 2022 elections, we at STAND seek to take on the role of non-partisan outreach throughout the Central New Jersey area. We will engage with constituents through a variety of means: in-person educational events, strategic planning forums for grassroots groups who share our values, online educational resources, and activist meetings that harness the creative energy of teamwork and relationship building. The underlying goal of all of our initiatives will be to help create a constituency that is empowered to support and defend our core values, in elections and beyond.
STAND’s VoV initiative is all about civic engagement outreach.
Our goals are twofold, focusing on two major groups: constituents and activists.
Our constituent-focused goals include:
• Registering voters
• Informing voters about the mechanics of voting in their districts, including requesting mail-in ballots
• Increasing voter turnout by engaging voters in conversations regarding their concerns about life in NJ, and educating them on how the outcomes of the election impact those concerns
• Increasing the chances of people voting by following research-based best practices in canvassing
• Providing, and directing people toward, resources to learn more about candidates and issues
Our activist-focused goals include:
• Providing, and guiding activists toward, education and training designed to create a powerful progressive grassroots force in our state with the power to impact elections and legislation
• Bringing grassroots groups together to collaborate and share knowledge and resources toward our shared values
How are we going to accomplish these goals?
1. Set up a presence at events in key election areas as identified by our research team.
2. Engage people in a listening canvass using research-based best practices.
3. Have people walk away from the conversations informed, registered to vote, committed to vote, and with a clear personal plan for voting.
Who can participate in VoV?
You can! We need you to get the word out the election and its importance, as well as help others get the information they need to vote. Like more information on how to join in? Email us or complete the interest form.