Civic Engagement
From the local to federal level, together we can make a difference in creating the world we want.
Find some ways to get started on this page.
Your Voice, Your Vote
Whether it’s the year of a big presidential election or for your local school board candidate, your vote is your voice. All voters should be able to vote safely, including survivors of domestic violence.
Confidential Voting Options in Colorado
Voting may pose privacy and safety concerns for victims and survivors of domestic violence due to public access to voter rolls. Read more about related safety considerations here.
In Colorado, there are two options to protect a survivor’s address in the voting process:
ACP Voter
To become an ACP Voter, you must:
- Meet the requirements for becoming an ACP participant
- Enroll in ACP with the help of an application assistant (Cost: free)
- If approved, ACP will send an ACP Voter Registration application in your enrollment materials
- This application should be sent to the ACP election staff member in your county (not back to ACP)
For more details, see this fact sheet made by Colorado’s Address Confidentiality Program!
Speak Out Against Voter Intimidation and Suppression
Voter intimidation is illegal. Know what it looks like and who you can call if you see it happening.
- ACLU Fact Sheet on Voter Intimidation
- Colorado Attorney General information
- Colorado’s hotline to report voter intimidation or harassment: 720-580-0148
Contact Your Legislators
Call, email, and tweet your elected officials about issues that impact survivors!
- Find your Colorado state legislators here.
- Find your federal officials here.
Stay up to date on our policy priorities and action alerts!
Nonprofit Lobbying
Remember, 501c3 organizations are nonpartisan, but they can and should lobby around issues that affect the communities they serve and employ!
- Click here for guidance on what to avoid as a 501c3
- Click here for more information on acceptable lobbying as a 501c3
- Consider other ways to support your staff in civic engagement. Can you give them an extra day of PTO to use for civic engagement? Allow for more flexible work hours? Provide relevant professional development opportunities for them?
Taking Direct Action
You may choose to organize with others through peaceful protest. Consider the following:
- Resources on direct action that centers healing justice, from Black Lives Matter
- Tips for protesting peacefully and safely, from Human Rights Campaign
- Safety during protest, from Amnesty International
- For white people and people who benefit from white privilege wanting to support racial justice through protest, read this article and this article
Bystander Intervention
Develop skills to address conflict and reduce harm.
- General bystander intervention tips from CU Boulder
- Get trained in bystander intervention or access more resources from Hollaback
Know these legal resources and protection in Colorado:
Take Care of Yourself
The news, elections, and more all impact our mental and emotional health. Many people also worry about their or their loved ones’ safety or ability to access needed resources on an ongoing basis, and particularly in the aftermath of elections or other direct actions. Find some resources here:
- Mental and emotional health resources and tips for people of color
- Click here for a comprehensive safety checklist from Nonprofit AF
- This blog post from Nonprofit AF discusses how to deal with election anxiety
- For more self-care and mental health tips, try this article
Other Voting Information and Resources
-To register online to vote in Colorado, or to manage your voter registration, click here.
-For general Colorado voting information, visit the Colorado Secretary of State’s General Election FAQs and Mail-in Ballot FAQs.
-For voters experiencing homelessness, click here.
-Did you know? You can drop off up to 5 ballots at a time to a drop box. This means advocates could help survivors who are staying in shelter or who lack transportation to vote by dropping off their ballots.
-You can also mail your ballot; just be sure to use 2 stamps per ballot!
-For NNEDV’s page on voting and survivor privacy, click here.