Increasing Family Power at the Ballot Box

Local elections don’t get the attention that top-of-the-ticket races for President, Senate, or Governor do. But the people we elect to school boards and other local offices have a huge impact on children and families. 

In Atlanta, Fort Worth, Newark, Nashville, and other cities across the country, PACE has worked with local partners to activate families ahead of these crucial local elections. Through a mix of cutting edge voter engagement tactics and old-school, on-the-ground organizing, we’ve helped more than 40,000 parents and family members to register and commit to vote.

Over a four year partnership with Project Ready in New Jersey, PACE worked to steadily increase the percentage of parents voting in local elections. In Newark, 42% of all voters in the most recent school board election are Project Ready members – and receive regular communications about how and when to make their voices heard in important local elections. Voters engaged by Project Ready are 1.5x as likely to vote in any election than their peers who were not. 

These organizations are showing the grassroots power of families at the ballot box – and we’re thrilled to have had the opportunity to join in that effort through a series of long-term partnerships.