Voting is Social Work: Voices From the National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign

ABSTRACT

The National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign, also known as Voting is Social Work, involved social work faculty, field educators, practitioners, and students in a nonpartisan voter engagement drive. Following the 2018 elections, researchers surveyed Campaign participants in social work schools and agencies to document their voter engagement activities.The study reported extent and amount of their involvement. The survey distinguished between the voter engagement participation of school- versus agency-based social workers, which has not been studied elsewhere. Participants also reported the benefits of political participation to individuals, communities, and the profession and perceived barriers such as organizational constraints, fears of appearing  partisan, and distrust of politics. Presented in historical context, the findings highlight the need to mainstream voter engagement throughout social work education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ We searched the Annual Proceedings of the NCCC online available for 1887–1982 using the terms Voter, Voting, Vote, Suffrage, Ballot, Enfranchis*, Disenfranchis*, Presidential Election, Voter Fraud, Right to Vote, Activism, Civic Engagement [NCCC 1874–1917; National Conference of Social Work, 1917–1955; National Conference of Social Welfare, 1955–1985].

² The first elected president of the National Association of Social Workers founded in 1955.

³ NCCC’s name changed in 1955.

⁴ Affiliated organizations also included YWCAs, Planned Parenthood agencies, the National Abortion Federation, plus women’s health clinics, childcare programs, community health centers, mental health centers, and centers for the disabled and hospitals in New York City (Piven & Cloward, 1985).

⁵ Voter suppression laws include: Voter ID laws, fewer early voting sites and shorter voting hours, remote location of voting stations, purges of voter registration rolls, spreading false voting information online, and gerrymandering, among others.

⁶ The Fund for Social Policy Education and Practice, New York Community Trust funded the development of the original website.

⁷ Terry Mizrahi and Mimi Abramovitz, both at Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, CUNY.

⁸ Council on Social Work Education, the North American Network of Field Educators and Directors; National Association of Deans and Directors; Special Commission to Advance Macro Practice in Social Work; Network of Social Work Management; Association for Community Organization and Social Administration; #MacroSW; Influencing Social Policy; Latino Social Work Organization, Congressional Research Institute For Social Policy; the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors; the National Rural Social Work Caucus, National Association of Perinatal Social Workers, the Clinical Social Work Association, and the National Association of Social Workers and many state NASW chapters.

⁹ Voting is Social Work was largely unfunded except for support from Silberman School of Social Work to fund a part-time temporary program manager, a private donation, and several thousand dollars raised by Web Go Fund Me drive.

¹⁰ Terry Mizrahi, Mimi Abramovitz, Katharine Hill, Beth Lewis, Tanya Rhodes Smith. Added later: Rebecca Sanders, Debbie Mullin, Elena Callahan.

¹¹ The responses reflect respondent’s report of their activities, which may be subject to memory or other selective biases.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mimi Abramovitz

Mimi Abramovitz is a professor at Hunter College, City University of New York.

Margaret Sherraden

Margaret Sherraden is a professor at Washington University in Saint Louis.

Katharine Hill

Katharine Hill is an associate professor at the University of St. Thomas.

Tanya Rhodes Smith

Tanya Rhodes Smith is an instructor in residence at the University of Connecticut.

Beth Lewis

Beth Lewis is director of field education at Bryn Mawr College.

Terry Mizrahi

Terry Mizrahi is a professor at Hunter College, City University of New York.