Heartland Workers Center’s Initiatives and Efforts to Increase Voting in Omaha

The Heartland Workers Center organization in South and North Omaha is implementing initiatives to
promote community’s voter turnout for the upcoming general election on Tuesday, November 6.
One of these initiatives is Get-Out-The-Vote which includes a series of activities by HWC. From phone
banking to canvassing where members get in touch with people registered to vote in the area. All efforts
made possible by the participation of HWC’s organizers and workers, but also thanks to volunteers in the
community.
Organizer at HWC Jackeline Prados says the Get-Out-The-Vote initiative seeks to increase minority
groups vote participation in South and North Omaha. This is due to the low participation these sectors of
the community present.
Prados mentions that it is very important to educate people, “Sometimes people don’t know, there is not
much disclosure of what elections are, how the system works here in the United States and the differences
between midterm elections and Presidential elections.”
For Prados it is very important that people are informed and participate in elections if they have the right
to do so. Prados thinks that people should understand that, “Your vote is not just a ballot you are going to
fill out, but this ballot represents the power you are giving to an authority to represent your interests.”
It is for this reason that those in charge of knocking on doors and calling over the phone, inform people
about voting and important dates. They also ask about people’s intentions to vote and help with any
questions and valuable information these people might have. By being a non-partisan organization, HWC
and its collaborators can’t give any indication or recommendation for whom to vote for, but they can
provide candidates profiles for people that might be interested.
The Get-Out-The-Vote initiative began back in 2012, and over the years not only has the vote turnout
increased but the community’s culture has changed. According to HWC’s lead organizer Abbie Kretz
“They are recognizing us as an organization that reminds them to vote, if they see us they say… oh it’s
elections time.” Kretz says they have also seen an increase in the number of people who prefer to vote by
early-voting-ballots.
Kretz argues that voting “Is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Many times, people become citizens to
be well here and help their families, but there is another part, how are you fully participating when you
are here?” She also maintains that participation not only ends with the vote, but continues with our civic
participation to hold our government officials accountable for their promises and commitments.
HWC’s efforts to increase the voter turnout with its Get-Out-The-Vote campaign will remain in effect
until election day, where they will continue to remind and inform people about voting through phone
banking. They will also provide transportation for people who need it to go vote, collect early-voting-
ballots, and at the end of the day there will be a watch party for the initial results.