Transcript Community Health Vote 2014

Community Health Vote 2014
ACA Enrollment and Voter Registration
at Health Centers
January 22, 2014
THE RULE to Remember
May Not Support
or Oppose a
Candidate for
Public Office
The Rules: Dos and Don’ts
DO
DON’T
 Voter Registration
X Endorse a candidate for office
 Voter Education
X Give resources to candidates
 Distribute Sample Ballots, Guides
X Rate candidates on your issue
 Co-sponsor Candidate Forums
X Tell people how to vote
 Educate the Candidates
 Remind People to Vote
 Help on Election Day:
 Recruit Poll Workers
 Support or Oppose Ballot Questions
Why Offer Voter Registration
Elections matter to the future of health centers and the
health of our clients
The populations least likely to vote are OUR clients
Health centers have a trusted relationship with their
clients
Having more of our clients (& staff) as voters dramatically
changes the perception of our advocacy power
Because WE CAN make an impact:
between 910,000 and 3 million votes were lost due to
registration problems in 2008, a modest improvement
over the year 2000, when between 1.5 million and 3
million votes were lost for the same reason.
Results from Community Health Vote 2012
Results from Community Health Vote 2012
Results from Community Health Vote 2012
The Opportunity Presented by the ACA
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is
bringing millions of Americans into Community Health
Centers and other social service agencies. It offers a
unique opportunity to integrate voter registration into
health insurance enrollment services.
Many health centers and other agencies already offer
ongoing non-partisan voter registration assistance as part
of their Medicaid and WIC application and renewal
process to comply with the National Voter Registration
Act. We will now have a chance to offer this same service
to millions more people.
We can implement the same voter registration process
whether it is required by the NVRA or not.
Challenges and Objections
The application and the enrollment process may already be
long and confusing now we add voter registration:
•One more thing for staff to do
•Enrollment, not registration is the priority
•More questions for assisters/navigators to answer
•One more form for the patient to fill out
•Why register
•Will they be willing to fill out one more form
•Turning in the forms
Someone on staff has to make sure this is done
•Others – we’ll find out
Overcoming the Challenges
1. Make the registration process simpler and faster
2. Have simple materials explaining and
encouraging registration available and
throughout the site
3. Create a VR resource team: one or two people at
the center trained to answer questions as a
resource for Outreach & Enrollment workers.
4. Provide ongoing training & Technical Assistance
to enrollment and other staff on how to ask
about voter registration and the process itself
Making it Easier and More Efficient
 Treat VR as another service you are offering, not as some
unrelated activity. Ask more than once.
 Use a simple voter registration interface:
http://communityhealthvote.net
Include VR in your outreach message and advertise it throughout the
site so they are expecting it:
“When you come into the health center to apply for insurance we
can also help you become a registered voter or
update your registration”
Have a system for collecting and submitting completed forms.
Making the Ask
Making the transition to voter registration –
“The next question asks about registering to vote.”
“Another important service we offer is helping you register to vote or
update your registration. Your being a voter really matters to your health
care and your health center. I can help you quickly register to vote or update
your registration right now.”
Or start with this question “Can I update your voter registration?”
This has proven more effective than just asking “Do you want to register
to vote?”
If the person says they’re registered, be sure to ask “Have you moved recently?”
Many people move and need to update their voter registration or they
will be unable to vote.
State Registration
Tools
• Each state has unique
requirements for voter
registration and voting
• State pages at
CommunityHealthVote.net
offer state-specific
resources that will help you
register patients to vote
• Three main areas to know:
– Registration requirements
– How to handle and submit
applications
– Frequently asked questions
Highlights of the
Registration Guide
Highlights of the
Registration Guide
Highlights of the
Registration Guide
State Q&A
• You may receive specific
questions when registering
patients to vote.
• Each state page has a Q&A
document with answers
specific to your state for:
– Convicted felons
– Victims of domestic violence
– Homeless voters
For more information voting issues visit
www.FairElectionsNetwork.com
or email
[email protected]
Overcoming the Challenges
• Consider having your client apply online after completing the
Marketplace Application, but prior to moving into plan selection.
• Consider having your client apply online after completing plan
selection in the Marketplace, while you’re printing out other
documents they’ll need to take away.
• Offer a paper application if the client is not interested in using the
internet to register to vote and let them know you’ll make sure it gets
to the county clerk’s office.
• Let the client know that they’ll receive a voter registration card in the
mail after their application is processed by the county clerk.
Elements of Success
Organizational Commitment – Board and staff
understand the importance
Individual Champions – someone responsible
who WANTS to make it work
A plan for implementation
Support from Community Health Vote, FELN and
NonProfit Vote
Feedback is Critical
This is effort is for the long haul, not just for the first
open enrollment period.
There will be problems, questions and glitches along the
way.
The way the states and the federally facilitated
exchanges view voter registration and implement NVRA
compliance will evolve.
We need to hear from you
Are you integrating VR into the application and enrollment
process
What success/problems are you having
What help/training do you need
For More Information or
Questions
Marc Wetherhorn
[email protected]
540-942-3862