Tennessee ranked 48th in the nation for voter turnout in the 2016 election, according to the U.S. Elections Project. The question of how to improve voter engagement, as well as strategies for increasing voter turnout, will be the topic of “Voting 101,” an August workshop co-sponsored by the Chattery and the Chattanooga chapter of the League of Women Voters, in Chattanooga.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Assistant Professor of Political Science Dr. Amanda Wintersieck will speak on Thursday, Aug.
10. The meeting will be on the 4th floor of the Chattanooga public library's downtown branch, 1001 Broad St., at 6 p.m., and the public is invited. A brief training session on registering voters, led by officers of the local League of Women Voters chapter, will follow.
"This workshop will look beyond the politically charged rhetoric and examine voter behavior. Dr. Amanda Wintersieck will present research-based information on voting and voter registration," organizers said.
Dr. Wintersieck’s research interests lie in political behavior and political communications, according to UTC’s faculty webpage. In addition to discussing voter registration issues, she said she plans to spend some time “talking about strategies for follow through with voting. After all, registration means little if citizens don’t vote.”