More than six thousand mailers are being delivered across South Dakota urging residents to register to vote. The organization behind the outreach is targeting the least-represented communities in the state.
The Voter Participation Center is sending out 6,421 letters across the state. This is the organization's first time mailing in South Dakota.
Group president and CEO Tom Lopach said it’s a matter of fairness and representation across the nation.
“Nationally, there are 75 million Americans who are eligible to vote and are unregistered," Lopach said. "Of that 75 million, 51 million are people of color, young people, and unmarried women.”
Lopach said making registration easier and connecting people to resources is critical. Hence, many of these mailers will come with some information already filled in, like address and name.
“They should read it, see if the information is accurate. If it isn’t, change it with a pen. If it is, sign it, date it, put it in an envelope, and it goes back to your local election office, and they’ll register you to vote," Lopach said. "That’s the first step. Then, we’ll send you information when it’s time to vote.”
Lopach emphasized that the group is encouraging people to vote, not who to vote for.
“It is nonpartisan," Lopach said. "Elections should be a contest of ideas, not a contest of who gets to vote. The way I think about it, I don’t follow football, I don’t know what team goes to what city. There are millions upon millions of Americans that don’t follow politics, but they should learn how to vote and how to have their voices heard.”
Nationwide, those primary targets of the program — people of color, young people, and single women — are half as likely to be registered to vote compared to the US average.