Community group works to increase voter turnout in 2020

Neto Community Network, a nonprofit that promotes social equity, is getting ready to rock the vote with a grassroots, non-partisan campaign to increase Concord’s voter turnout in the 2020 election.

The percentage of registered voters who cast their ballots last November varied widely between Concord’s precincts, from about 50 percent in some neighborhoods to more than 80 percent in other areas.

Neto’s Rock the Concord Vote (RTCV) team is targeting precincts with the lowest turnouts in Districts 2, 3 and 4 to try to close some of that gap. They’re collaborating with multiple organizations that have extensive voter engagement expertise, including the county Elections Office, League of Women Voters and ¡Vota Ya! California.

“Based on social capital research, our theory is that people tend to vote more consistently when they’re part of a community that shares information and enjoys the social rewards of voting,” says Molly Clark, one of Neto’s co-founders.

“Our first critical step is to listen to hundreds, maybe thousands, of Concord residents to see how they feel about voting. We need to learn more about the challenges they face, where they get information, how they find the time to research the issues and whom they trust to help with making decisions,” Clark notes. “Which kinds of candidates and measures actually motivate people to exercise their right to vote – local, state, federal, or is it primarily issue-based?”

After strategizing and fundraising for several months, RTCV launched a brief online survey for Concord residents. They’ve also mobilized “community listeners” to walk the precincts and organize casual neighborhood networking events.

Upon taking the voter survey for a trial run and hosting its first neighborhood event, RTCV discovered a common thread. “Many people told us they don’t fully understand how our city government operates,” says Luz Palomera-Sierra, another of Neto’s co-founders.

“It’s difficult to relate to a candidate for City Council or figure out how a ballot measure impacts your life when you don’t really know how it all works together. Even though it’s sometimes hard to find the truth, I believe people here really do care about voting,” Palomera-Sierra says. “Our job will be to keep sharing resources and bringing people together to learn from each other and get excited about making their voices heard.”

“As we build momentum over the coming year, we’ll gradually reach out to more precincts across all five districts,” Clark adds. “We don’t intend to tell people how to vote. Our goal is to build a strong, diverse group of voters who are engaged in shaping the future of our local community and our democracy at large.”

Voter Information

What: “How Local Government and Our Voting System Work,” a free event sponsored by Neto

Who: Concord City Councilman Edi Birsan will be on hand for interactive Q&A, along with Paul Burgarino from the county Elections Department

When: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 3

Where: Concord Library

Visit netocn.org to take the RTCV voter survey.