"I started seeing how hard it is for our community to get informed so I began passing the word around and pulling people into the information." - Hispanic student in Berkeley

"Many students are not able to understand the material due to lack of skills and thus have to rely on the word of mouth of others rather than reading the information for oneself."
- San Diego Literacy Coordinator

Information Needs

Many of the students indicated that they came from households or backgrounds where voting was not modeled for them. Therefore, some did not appear to have some very basic information about the voting process.

"If you're 18, aren't you just eligible to vote?" - Sacramento student who thought he was automatically registered upon turning 18

"I didn't know that all you have to do is just fill out the form to get registered."
- Sacramento woman

" I started voting one year after I became a citizen. I wanted to wait a while because I needed to get up the courage. My English is not good and when I went to the polls I didn't know what they were talking about and wasn't sure what to vote for."
- Chinese student in Sacramento

"Many of the learners forgot they registered and wondered if they have to do something or go somewhere when they get this card in the mail. My hairdresser said she doesn't want to go the polls because she doesn't know what to do." - Oakland Literacy Coordinator

Many of the students who were experienced voters also expressed feelings of confusion and frustration about preparing to vote, especially on the ballot measures. A 38 year old man who said that he has been voting for 15 years commented that sometimes he understands "very little of them and the way you vote sometimes doesn't make sense. A yes sometimes means no and a no sometimes means yes."
A woman in Baldwin Park said she does not have any trouble using her Sample Ballot to find where her polling place is, but, "reading up on the laws and studying the pamphlet...it's hard to read."

A Berkeley woman has been a voter for a while but said "I feel nervous about getting ready to vote because I don't want to make the wrong decisions." She expressed her feeling that there is not enough information available. "Some of it is sketchy and you have doubts and want to know more."

The adult learners who designed the Key to Community voting workshop wanted to make it useful for both new voters as well as current voters who want to be more informed. The team came up with the following main points that are covered in the workshop:

- discussion of why/why not vote
- who is eligible
- information re: political parties**
- how to register
- what happens at the polls (plus the option of voting by mail)
- how to get information to make your voting decisions
- tips to make the voting process easier

One of the key messages that the peer presenters have tried to emphasize is that going to vote is not like taking a test at the Department of Motor Vehicles (one of the public institutions that most of the students have had experience with). The presenters explained that one can take his or her "answers" into the polling place, vote on as many or as few items as desired and ask for help if needed.

In the post-election questionnaire, people were asked what they recalled about the voting workshop. The following were open-ended responses:

- voting information/how to register and vote (42%)
- importance of voting (22%)
- information on propositions/issues (7%)
- information on political parties (6%)
- information on candidates (5%)
- not necessary to vote on everything/vote still valid (5%)

Information can be motivating

In addition to filling in critical gaps in their knowledge about the voting process, the information and perspective of the Key to Community workshop seemed to serve as a source of motivation for many of the students.

"The workshop showed me that one vote could make a difference." - New voter

"It was nice knowing I didn't have to vote on everything."
- Sacramento woman, new voter

"The workshop addressed learners' feelings of powerlessness. The non-threatening manner in which the information was presented made the students feel comfortable. Knowing they didn't have to vote on everything, the students walked away saying, "I can do this!"
- San Diego Literacy Coordinator

"The workshop provided the "how to" answers to the basic questions about the voting process. People gained the skills needed to become involved as active citizens."
- Santa Fe Springs Literacy Coordinator

"The clear concise information about the 'how-to's made the voting process easier to understand. Many didn't know that there were more than two political parties or that they didn't have to vote on everything." - Merced teacher

A 48 year old woman at Baldwin Park said that she used to only vote for President, but "at school we discussed the propositions so we can understand them... They went step by step with us at school, it really helped." She said that she felt better about voting this year because of the support from her instructor at school, "that's why this year I felt really good." She also said that she discussed the issues with her family. "We all sat down at the table and discussed before we filled out our ballots... Now I'm more interested in what is going on - maybe because of school."

"Some who were unable to attend the workshop but heard about it, wished they had attended because they heard such good things. Students not only tackled their fear of the unknown, but they began to think about issues on their own, participating in conversations around politics and matters affecting their communities. They were excited to vote!" - Merced administrator

Amount of information

The Key to Community workshop was also designed to provide the 'minimum necessary information to act' without overwhelming learners. The key contact at the Santa Fe Springs program thought that it was a good idea that the workshop was not in-depth on any one aspect of the topic: "[Any] more information would have been too much...Learners need just enough information to act, but not too much or that paralyzes them [from acting].

"A little information so they can take one or two steps, a little more information so they can take four or five steps and so on." - Berkeley man

"If they need help, I go and help. I'm not an organizer. You tell me what to do and I'll do it." - Sacramento woman

"I liked how the workshop gave really specific information I could take home and share with others." - Sacramento man

One topic not covered in the workshop or Easy Reader Voter Guide was the electoral college system because the adult learner team thought it was not essential for participation in the election. One of the students in Sacramento said she learned about the electoral college from a friend at school: "It made me less interested in voting for President. Why am I voting for President if I don't really get that choice?" In this case, this additional information was demotivating for her.

In the other portion of the Key to Community curriculum -- How to be Heard and Make a Difference which was not assessed in this study -- a team of adult learners also devised a set of 'minimum necessary' steps to identify and take action on an issue of concern in one's community.