THE NEED FOR VOTER EDUCATION AND OUTREACH:

In the state of Georgia, 1.4 million young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are eligible to vote. Traditionally, voter turn out in this particular age group is extremely low. In addition to young people coming of age, Fulton County is one of the fastest growing County’s in the Nation, experiencing unprecedented growth in urban areas. Many of Fulton County’s new residents have not opted to get involved in the elections process due to not feeling a vested interest in the development, function and or growth of local government.

Currently Fulton County has a population of 916,623 residents of which 434,315 (47.4%) are currently registered voters. This percentage is far less than the national average. Several States and the County’s within them have initiated aggressive outreach and voter education programs. These efforts have contributed significantly to both increased voter registration and voter turnout. The greater Atlanta area is becoming one of the largest metropolitan areas in our Nation. It is of extreme importance to encourage the residents of Fulton County to become actively involved in the elections process from all ages, ethnic groups and socio-economic backgrounds.

Cultivating strategic partnerships with civic and community organizations is also vital to the success of meeting this community need. Many of Fulton County’s neighborhood organizations have their fingers on the pulse of the community and are our best source of information in determining our outreach methods. As we survey the community, these efforts should also include think tanks and brainstorming sessions with many of the leaders of these organizations.

• Survey of voters
• Research of voting laws and regulations
• Create interactive voter education website
• Local and national elections history
• Development of comprehensive voter education curriculum
• Voter information in Spanish
• Power Point Presentation
• Voter registration
• Civic service learning projects for College and High School students
• Deputy registrar workshops
• Districts and Precincts information
• Voter identification information
• Ballots and instructions
• Touch Screen Unit instructions
• Voter Education Public Events
• Express Poll instructions
• Voter turn out statistics
• Pre-elections calendar
• Election results
• Contact Information for Election Officials
• Annual Summary of Team Accomplishments

Kids Voting
It's unique, it's fun and it works! Kids Voting combines dynamic, hands-on civics activities with an authentic voting experience to get students involved and ready to be active citizens.

Kids Voting, a year long non-partisan nonprofit program, teaches kindergarten - 12th grade students about citizenship, civic participation and the election process through classroom lessons, volunteering and practice voting on Election Day.

Students learn about decision-making, gathering information, evaluating the candidates and how the election process works. They study the candidates and issues, interact with public officials, attend debates and keep track of current events. Then, on Election Day, they go to the polls to cast practice ballots in local, state and national races.