FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Audrey Ann Ross,
215-435-8914
Audrey.Ross@accessmatters.org
Local Public Health Organization Launches Voter Mobilization Efforts With Healthcare Providers & Via Mobile App
AccessMatters Engages Networks of Healthcare Providers in Non-Partisan Voter Registration and Mobilization for Nov 6th
[PHILADELPHIA, PA] – November 5, 2018: Election Day is tomorrow! This fall, AccessMatters has been engaging its health care providers and consumers in voter registration and engagement activities. This election is critical to AccessMatters and the communities served by AccessMatters’ programs and providers. The outcome of the election could have a major impact on access to sexual and reproductive health care and services.
“The political landscape has an enormous and undeniable impact on the work that we do from funding for our programs to our clients’ ability to access the health care they need and deserve,” said Melissa Weiler Gerber, President & CEO of AccessMatters. “With so much at stake, it has been critically important for AccessMatters to engage in non-partisan voter engagement activities in solidarity with the many organizations working to ensure we have an engaged and informed electorate.”
AccessMatters participated in National Voter Registration Day efforts in late September by collaborating with its health care providers and partner organizations to register eligible voters before Pennsylvania’s early October registration deadline. AccessMatters’ staff worked with health centers in AccessMatters’ networks to hold voter registration drives, make voter registration forms available to patients on an ongoing basis, and provide resources for “get out the vote” efforts after eligible voters were registered. AccessMatters is also sending non-partisan voter mobilization messages to users of AccessMatters’ It Matters mobile app, which provides people with information about sexual and reproductive health topics and local services.
“As trusted messengers in our communities, it is highly important that non-profits empower the people we serve to voice their opinions by voting for the future they want to see unfold. Underrepresented communities, in particular, should be encouraged to utilize the opportunity to choose candidates that best represent them and the issues that impact their lives,” said Weiler Gerber. “We believe that all voices must be heard, and strongly encourage all eligible voters to exercise their right to vote at the polls tomorrow.”
In an effort to get people out to vote, AccessMatters is participating in Committee of Seventy’s WeVote initiative and promoting their We Vote mobile application that helps voters access information related to polling locations, candidates, and voting rights. As a part of the initiative, AccessMatters will close its office tomorrow to ensure that staff are empowered to get out to vote and can volunteer to participate in any Election Day activities in their communities, should they choose to.
“It has been incredible to see the interest from our providers and efforts of the many organizations who are engaging people on the ground and utilizing their resources to increase voter engagement for an election cycle that often does not receive much attention,” said Weiler Gerber. “Despite typically low voter turnout in past midterm elections, we hope tomorrow will reflect the tremendous work in Pennsylvania over these past few months to mobilize eligible voters across the Commonwealth.”
For more information on voting in Pennsylvania, voters can download the WeVote mobile application or visit the League of Women Voters vote411.org website.
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AccessMatters is the catalyst for providing access to sexual and reproductive health care for teens and adults in need reaching over 150,000 individuals annually. For more information about AccessMatters programs, visit www.AccessMatters.org, @AccessMatters4U on Twitter, and @AccessMatters on Facebook.