Registering New Citizens
Sworn in one hour, registered the next. Now VOTE!
By Martha Merson
PHILADELPHIA — Beyond the glitzy office buildings between 30th St. Station and 40th St., a few blocks north of the University of Pennsylvania campus, lies the historically black neighborhood called Powelton Village. Among the row houses, a functional, nondescript building sticks out — the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. Here people’s lives change course in truly inspiring ways.
The US Immigration Service has offices around the country where immigrants report for hearings, take citizenship tests, appeal asylum decisions, and attend swearing in ceremonies to celebrate their US citizenship. The USCIS office in West Philadelphia is especially active. People come from across state lines and miles beyond the city limits. Those who come for a swearing-in ceremony look spiffy in their dress-up clothes. Many have been waiting years for this day.
After the ceremony, new citizens exit the building wearing big smiles and waving small American flags. Now, among other rights, they can vote!
NextGen America is the nation’s largest youth voting organization. Using innovative digital and field strategies, NextGen works to turn out young voters in key states. As a field organizer for NextGen, Jack Colbert remembers one of his co-workers floating the idea of setting up a voter registration table outside the Powelton Village USCIS building and staffing it through the day, especially at times close to the swearing in ceremonies. Since another voting group had stopped registering at the USCIS office, Jack knew that NextGen could take up the slack, turning the new citizens into prospective voters.
Inside USCIS, the PA Immigrant Citizens Coalition also registers new citizens, but Jack knew that when the line is long or PICC skips a day, there are plenty who might not get registered.
From an organizing perspective, the USCIS building is a great spot. From a single location NextGen, local folks like Elaine Gifford and Swing Blue Alliance volunteers can greet up to 100 people a day and register at least a dozen or two. Two or more volunteers can work together to assist the many new citizens emerging from the ceremony. Above all, it is a happy place to be. There is often shade on a fairly quiet street, which makes it easier to talk people through the PA voter application.
“I bring my table with clipboards, pens, and forms,” Jack said, “offering my assistance to those who need a little help with the form. Having the table signals a more official effort than just walking around with a clipboard. I put some give-away items on the table to entice people to come over. This is a non-partisan action, so I wear my t-shirt that says Young Voters Save Democracy and bring tote bags with similar slogans.”
The USCIS has offices throughout America. If you have an office nearby, here are some factors to consider in choosing where and when to register voters:
Pick an office that is close to major transit.
Do a little observation and research before offering the opportunity to a group of volunteers. Some offices are not as busy as others.
Pick a day with multiple swearing-in ceremonies to make volunteers’ travel time pay off. A staff member or website might list the schedule for swearing in ceremonies. The U.S. District Court for Nevada, for example, lists their schedule.
Know the voter registration rules in your state.
“It’s been a great run, registering students and new citizens in Philadelphia,” Jack said. “When I was looking for an entry level job with a political focus, I almost took a position with the ACLU as a fundraiser, but then I heard about NextGen. I feel so fortunate. This work has been extremely rewarding, as I truly feel I am making a difference in a critical battleground state.”
Three cheers for new citizens and the volunteers registering them!
Learn more about NextGen America.
I'm in Charlotte, NC which has one of two USICS offices in NC. There is a long-standing relationship between the local chapter of the League of Women Voters and the USICS office. LWV volunteers are invited to attend each and every naturalization ceremony. Every new citizen gets a NC voter registration form on their chair and they are encouraged to stick around after the ceremony to get assistance in filling out the form. (We collect the forms and either deliver them or mail them out to the county BOE).
Recently, they have been holding three back-to-back ceremonies every Friday to get as many people naturalized before the election as possible. We usually have 60 - 75 new citizens at each ceremony and we usually get ~2/3 - 3/4 to register on the spot (depending on whether the ceremony is running late and the persuasiveness of the person doing the ceremony). The League tries to schedule 3 or 4 volunteers per ceremony with some very dedicated people doing 2 ceremonies back to back.
It is very rewarding and I usually do 1 - 2 ceremonies per month. I can definitely attest to the fact that many new citizens appreciate America more than a lot of people born here do!