Learning Session: The Future of Voter Engagement

Relational Organizing, Voter Festivals, and Digital Platforms in the Post-Pandemic Era

Friday, July 30, 2021

Nearly 1,000,000 New Yorkers voted on June 22 2021 – the largest number since 1989 and cause for celebration – but at only 26% of the electorate there is still much work to be done. The GoVoteNYC Fund is committed to deepening its support for nonprofits working to increase voter turnout, narrow participation gaps, and engage communities facing historical and present-day barriers.

Join us as we talk with experts about the research behind effective voter education and outreach, the rise of digital platforms and social media, and how measuring this work can build local capacity and the field. We take a special look at the innovative “voter festival” model tried in other cities and investigate how New York City’s vibrant arts sector can be engaged in creating a just and joyful voting experience.

Speakers

Donald Green is the Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and the co-author of Get Out The Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout. His research interests span a wide array of topics, including voting behavior, partisanship, and campaign finance. Much of his current work uses field experimentation to study the ways in which political campaigns mobilize and persuade voters. 

Tamer Mokhtar is a partner at Investing in US which utilizes a venture capital model to identify organizations capable of bringing about scaled impact in the areas of technology integration into voter mobilization efforts, digital media/messaging, and turnout. In 2018, Tamer founded All Americans Vote, which focuses on non-partisan efforts to engage America’s electorate by elevating turnout among young and diverse voters. 

Alex Navarro-McKay is Managing Director in the New York office of BerlinRosen, a nationally recognized communications strategy firm. He directs the firm’s political division where he creates award-winning ads and direct mail that tell the stories of candidates, causes and brands. Since joining the firm in 2008, Alex has been a lead consultant for over 100 winning campaigns, including state, federal, local and ballot initiatives.