OMAHA, Neb. — While kids in South Omaha were trick-or-treating on Halloween, a group of volunteers was knocking on doors for a different reason — to make sure neighbors are ready to vote in the midterm election.
The volunteers come from the Heartland Workers Center. They are nonpartisan, which means they do not support any party or candidate. Their only goal is to help neighbors stay informed and feel confident about voting.
Organizers say ballot measures can be especially hard to understand. That can be true for neighbors who do not have a background in politics, or who may not read at a more advanced level.
Perla Ochoa is an organizer with the Heartland Workers Center. She says the group focuses on reaching people who have not been active voters, and finding out why.
"So we are reaching out to these people to make sure they get information and educate them a little about what is going on," Ochoa said.
Ochoa says many people in her community want to vote but are not always sure how the process works or who is on the ballot.
"Most of our community, they don't know how to vote, so this is like a little joke, but it's not, because they just vote because somebody told them to vote, but they don't know who they're voting for," Ochoa said.
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She says talking with neighbors face to face helps them feel more confident by the time they cast their ballot.
"Your vote is so powerful that all you have to do is pay attention to what you're doing and then to get to know where your power is going to, because voting is so important," Ochoa said.
Ochoa says her favorite part of the work is connecting with people and helping them feel heard.
"The main thing is that you get to know the people, you get to know what they have going on, and then you get to see how you can help to make them feel better and to make them feel that their voice is heard," Ochoa said.
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The group says it is reaching out to people who were not active voters, making sure they have the chance to take part in what is shaping up to be a competitive midterm election.
As Election Day nears, Ochoa had a simple message for her community.
"I just like to say, please vote. Please, to my community, to our community, please vote, get educated," Ochoa said.
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