Civic Engagement
Once you have taken your naturalization oath, you can vote, become an elected official and make a difference in your community.
Remember, you can register to vote as soon as you receive your Certificate of Citizenship and Naturalization.
Voting in the United States
NAC Voter Guide for New Americans
One way to become civically engaged is by registering to vote and participating in local, state, and national elections. If you have never voted before, or never voted in the United States, it can feel overwhelming to get started. That is why we created the NAC Voter Guide for New Americans, a resource that contains critical information on the voting process in the United States.
This guide can be used by new American citizens and by community organizations seeking to strengthen their team’s ability to talk about voting and civic engagement with newly naturalized clients.
Accessing the Guide
A national-level version is available as a PDF here.
The customizable version of the guide allows organizations to add specific resources, deadlines, voter registration processes, and other state- or site-specific information. For access to the customizable version, please click here to provide your name, email, and organization; you will receive the link immediately.
Using the Guide
You can find information about how to customize the voter guide and some ideas about sharing with community members at these links:
- How to Customize the Voter Guide
- Voter Guide Digital Toolkit
- Webinar Recording: NAC CE Resources: Voter Guide for New Americans and Beyond
- Webinar Slides
Additional Resources
The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) has created helpful materials through their New American Voters campaign. On their website, you can find context on the campaign as well as data reports on naturalized voters and media coverage of the campaign. They have also created a New American Voters Digital Toolkit, that includes new American voter statistics, campaign talking points, and templates to uplift naturalized voter stories on digital platforms.
NAC partners have also created helpful guides for new Americans:
If you have a guide for new Americans that you’d like us to share, please contact us at [email protected].
For organizations looking to learn more about how to partake in civic engagement work, please view these election and lobbying resources for nonprofits from Alliance for Justice.