Civic Engagement for a Healthier Tomorrow: Lessons Learned from a Voter Registration Campaign in a Large Pediatric Healthcare System

Health outcomes and voting are inextricably linked, making healthcare spaces growing sites of opportunity for voter registration efforts. This case study of a comprehensive, nonpartisan voter registration effort at Children’s National, a large freestanding children’s hospital in Washington, D.C. and at its network of outpatient centers across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, highlights why advocacy focused on voting is essential to health and healthcare. Using materials from Vot-ER and customized materials including physical flyers and voting guides incorporated into the electronic health record, our efforts resulted in the engagement of hundreds of eligible voters in inpatient and outpatient settings that can be used as a model by other healthcare systems. Lessons learned include the importance of collaborating with hospital leadership, starting efforts early, identifying voter registration champions, and understanding voting policies and regulations, especially in institutions serving patients and families from multiple voting jurisdictions. Our team advocates for more healthcare systems to participate in voter registration and mobilization efforts and support staff, patients, and families in voting. Our efforts to advocate for increased voter registration efforts within our healthcare system are aligned with our focus on child health, as we recognize that voter participation helps shape the policies and public investments that influence child and family health outcomes. Other advocates can adapt this model as a scalable framework for implementing voter registration initiatives across diverse healthcare systems and voting jurisdictions.