Washington
-- The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has released a second
edition of its well-received publication,
Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout: A Manual for Community-Based Campaigns to
Mobilize Women to Vote. Thanks to
critical donor support, this new tool is now available free online to both
AAUW members and coalition partners who are making plans to activate women
voters across the country this fall.
"This is the most critical election in a generation, and AAUW is committed
to ensuring that women's voices are heard at the polls," said Lisa Maatz,
AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations. "Making this
valuable how-to manual available free on our website is a critical part of
our voter education campaign."
AAUW's
Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout
guides advocates step-by-step through planning a campaign, which includes
recruiting volunteers, working with publicly available voter registration
files to identify drop-off women voters in their community, and contacting
those women through canvassing and phone banking. In addition to the manual,
other online tools include nonpartisan voter guide templates, e-cards,
position papers, and AAUW's
Congressional Voting Record
for the 110th Congress, First Session.
"With approximately 100,000 bipartisan members and more than 1,000 branches,
AAUW has the community connections to have a positive effect on the turnout
of women voters," said Maatz. "The Woman-to-Woman program also stresses the
value of continued outreach to drop-off women voters throughout the year, as
well as the importance of educating women about policy issues important to
them through public forums, candidate nights, and other community
activities."
The methods detailed in the
Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout
manual were successfully used by AAUW branches and states in the 2006
midterm election to reach out to women in their communities. "AAUW expects
this resource to be the centerpiece of its ongoing member-led voter
education campaign and a catalyst for long-term efforts to increase voter
turnout among women nationwide," said Maatz.
Take Action!
Visit AAUW's Voter Education Campaign Website at
www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/voter_ed/index.cfm to download a
copy of the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout
manual.