Voter Engagement

RQP piloted a voter engagement strategy in 2004 with adult literacy programs in Arizona and New Hampshire. An evaluation conducted by a gradate student at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University found examples of “strong success” in both New Hampshire and Arizona, “particularly in strengthening critical thinking skills.” One group in Arizona reported that as a result of the RQP voter education workshop  93% of participants felt “more prepared” to vote and 87% “more interested” in voting.

Based on the success of the pilot, RQP is currently implementing The Right Question Project Voter Engagement Strategy for Election Day and Beyond in these ten states: Arizona, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island:

Read more about RQP's current work it in Voter Engagement and see  stories produced by first time voters about their discovery of the value of voting. 

The RQP Strategy is the best way to work with the population of adult learners in our programs. RQP has figured out a way to do voter education so that it is more about investing in adult learners’ ability to think for themselves than just about getting people to vote. The result is adult learners who are more likely to vote. They also learn skills that actually can help them with their classroom work and then, on top of that, they learn to better advocate for themselves when dealing with lots of other systems and services. It is quite a remarkable combination.

— Art Ellison, Director of New Hampshire’s Adult Education System

Adult learners who had access to the RQP Strategy continued to be active, long after election day, in trying to have a say in decisions on a local and state level. They also were more effective advocates for themselves and for their families. The RQP Strategy gave them a set of tools that they continue to use in many situations.

— Ami Magisos, the coordinator of the Civics program in Arizona Adult Education.