The Right Question Institute:

Voting Forum Webinar

Thursday, September 5th, 7-8pm ET, on Zoom

How can we increase motivation and determination to vote in low-income communities?

In 2020, the Right Question Institute (RQI) shared its nonpartisan “Why Vote?” Tool with social services, adult literacy programs, and nonprofit voter engagement efforts in 38 states around the country.

On Sept. 5, we will introduce you to the “Why Vote?” Tool and explore ways that you can share it with nonprofit programs and services in your communities and states.

Developed by Dan Rothstein (class of 1977, HGSE 1985) and Naomi Campbell (HLS 2017) and colleagues at RQI, the nonpartisan “Why Vote?” Tool is a free resource that makes it possible for people to name for themselves the value of voting. It has a simple design that helps people see the connection between services they need — such as food assistance, income support, and child care — and decisions that elected officials make. Direct service providers, educators, community organizers, and volunteers integrate use of the tool into their work with people and their efforts to encourage people to vote.

Rothstein and Campbell, along with RQI’s co-founder Luz Santana, create active and participatory webinar experiences. We encourage you to come learn about the “Why Vote?” Tool and consider how you can play a role in making sure it reaches into communities with traditionally low voting rates.

About the presenters:

Dan Rothstein '77, is one of the co-founders of the Right Question Institute (RQI) and the co-author with Luz Santana of Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions (Harvard Education Press, 2011). He is also an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he teaches, teaching a course on "Building Nimble and Democratic Minds." Dan has helped develop RQI's voter engagement resources and trained staff of adult literacy programs and nonprofit organizations working in low-income communities to engage low-propensity voters around the country.

Naomi Campbell, HLS 2017, is director of RQI's Legal Empowerment Program, partnering with legal professionals and other service providers working in low-income communities who use RQI's methods to build clients' agency and self-advocacy skills. Naomi also helped develop RQI's unique "Why Vote?" Tool, trained staff of organizations around the country, and supports Executive Director Betsy Smith in promoting RQI's current "Why Vote?" Initiative.