Matthew Moore: There aren’t major elections in 2025 in Arkansas, but for the Voter Participation Center, there’s no wrong time to register eligible voters.
Tom Lopach is the president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. And he says they’ve been working in states across America since 2003 to get people registered to vote through the use of direct mail and digital content and underrepresented communities.
Lopach: So what we do is we will send voter registration forms to people of color, young people and unmarried women to help increase their registration and participation in our democracy. And why those demographics, specifically those three demographics, are all deeply underrepresented in our electorate. When you look nationwide, there are 72 million Americans that are eligible to vote and unregistered. Of those 72 million, 51 million are people of color, young people and unmarried women. That’s about 71 percent. That number always blows my hair back. When you look in Arkansas, specifically in the communities that we serve. Again, people of color, young people and unmarried women, 42 percent are unregistered. When you look at the other populations, 27 percent are unregistered. So you can see there’s a pretty significant delta in voter registration and also in turnout.
Moore: Voter registration laws vary across every state. This is something you’re very familiar with. How does your work change depending on the state that you’re involved in?
Lopach: So we pay very careful attention to each state’s laws as they relate to voter registration. Vote by mail, sign up and get out the vote. So we have to pay attention to 50 different states. Do they have online voter registration? Do they not? Do they require identification to register? We follow all of those laws and then we tailor our programs to meet the specific laws in each state. Many states use their own voter registration form. Other states use the national voter registration form. So we stay in touch with the election administration offices in each state to make sure we’re complying with their laws and using the appropriate form.
Moore: What does your work look like specifically in Arkansas?
Lopach: In Arkansas, this time, we’ll be sending about 55,000 pieces of mail to unregistered Arkansans. We also make sure that we have reply envelopes that go back to the local or county election office. So once a person signs and dates their form, they can put it in the postage-paid envelope we provide, and it gets back to the local election administrator. The other thing that we do, both in Arkansas and nationally, is we will pre-fill voter registration application form with the recipient’s name and address. So all they really have to do is check the information, sign it, date it, and send it back in the postage-paid envelope.
Moore: What’s your success rate look like?
Lopach: We track all of the data, and in direct mail you’re looking at success if you’re hitting 1 percent, which is surprising to people. We supersede that 1 percent. Over 22 years we’ve been doing this work nationally. We’ve helped 6.6 million people submit voter registration and tens of millions more to sign up to vote by mail and get out to vote.
Moore: Arkansas is perpetually at the bottom of two lists — registered voters and voter turnout. For those who even are registered to vote, do you see that as a challenge and as an opportunity?
Lopach: Absolutely. This is the first year and the first mailing we’re doing nationally. We’ve been working in a number of states for 20 years. But what is true is the under registration of the communities we serve and the under turnout of the communities we serve is as true in Arkansas as it is in Michigan and Pennsylvania. The work we do is deeply important in every state, and that’s why we’re going to be doing it.
Moore: This is an off year for elections in most states, but including Arkansas, 2025 is. There’s no real statewide ballot that’s happening. Do you find that to be an easier time to get people registered to vote?
Lopach: It’s always an important time. You never know when there’s going to be an unscheduled special election. You never know, is there a municipal or county election happening at an off time? There are also oddly timed regular elections in a number of states. The other great thing about getting people on the voter rolls earlier is it provides more time for other organizations to share information with them about how to vote. What issues are on the ballot? What candidates are on the ballot? You’ll get more information to help you make a decision if you are on the voter rolls.
Moore: Why is voting so important to you personally?
Lopach: We live in a democracy. We should have all of the voices who are eligible having their voices heard in the democracy. I worry deeply about what sort of governance, what sort of policies we would have if we aren’t hearing from all eligible Americans in the way they’d like to see their government run, regardless of party. Things can get off track if the American people aren’t having their voices heard.
Moore: Do you have a distinct memory of the first election that you voted in?
Lopach: I remember the first time I voted was in 1992. I voted by mail. I filled the form out in my college dorm room, and I was going to college out of state. So I called my uncle, who was a political science professor, for guidance on the ballot initiatives.
Moore: Mail voting in general has become kind of a hot button issue right now. President Trump has made it a priority of his to make mail-in voting harder to do in Arkansas. That is pretty hard to do as well. Do you spend much time thinking about not just getting people registered to vote, but also making sure they have better access to voting?
Lopach: After we register folks to vote, we will send people on the voter file information about how to apply to vote by mail and how to get out and vote when there’s an election. And our get out the vote mailers are very specific, letting people know where their polling place is located, what hours it is open, do they need to bring a piece of ID or not? Our perspective is that elections should be a contest of ideas and not a contest of who gets to vote. So we want to make sure we put all of the information in people’s hands so they can get out and vote.
Moore: What tends to be the hardest part of the work that you do?
Lopach: I think the hardest part of the work is realizing how very many Americans who are eligible are unregistered, and then further helping to engage them and help them understand that their voice matters.
Moore: Why do you think that’s so hard? To get people to realize that their voice matters?
Lopach: When I think about football, I don’t follow football. I don’t know what team goes to which city or what their mascots are. And when you realize there’s a whole host of Americans that are very busy with their lives, busy working one or two jobs, raising the kids, helping with homework, putting food on the table. They don’t necessarily have the bandwidth to figure out, are they registered? Are they registered at their current address? Did they move in the last six months? When is Election Day? How can they vote only in person? Vote by mail or early vote in person? Who do they want to vote for? They are so busy with the mechanics of raising their families. That can be hard. And we want to make certain we are thinking through what are their needs at a time when they’re working so hard and raising their family? And how can we make this as accessible as possible?
Moore: The work that you do is nonpartisan. The work that you do doesn’t matter which party you would be voting for if you were voting. Why is it important for your work to be nonpartisan?
Lopach: We are nonpartisan. We are tax deductible, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. Our interest is not the outcome of elections. Our interest is as strong and representative democracy and making sure that underrepresented populations have their voices heard. As I said earlier, I often think about elections truly should be a contest of ideas and not a contest about who gets to vote.
Moore: Tom Lopach is the president and CEO of the Voter Participation Center. We spoke over Zoom earlier this week. Visit their website to learn your voter registration status right now.
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