Building Democracy: Moving the Needle on Voter Engagement in Hartford
Report will be available here September 25, 2026
Join us Wednesday, September 30, from 5:30–7:00 PM at the Hartford Public Library Community Room to hear what Hartford residents told us about why people do and don’t vote, share your own perspective, and explore how we can turn what we’ve learned into action.
CTData will share findings from our research through an interactive data walk, giving community members, nonprofit organizations, and civic partners an opportunity to discuss the data, connect it to their own experiences and work, and help identify next steps for strengthening civic participation in Hartford.
You’ll also have opportunities to connect with organizations doing civic engagement work across the city and find concrete ways to get involved—from registering to vote and learning about upcoming elections to becoming a Voter Captain, joining the Hartford Votes-Vota Coalition, or bringing conversations about voting and civic engagement into your own neighborhood or organization.
Spanish language groups and materials will be available.
Food will be available beginning at 5:00 PM. Registration is required.
Project Overview
CTData is partnering with members of the Hartford Votes Coalition on a new research project called Building Democracy: Moving the Needle on Voter Engagement in Hartford. This study is run by CTData Collaborative (CTData) and funded by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The goal of this research is to provide information that contributes to an understanding of why people do and don’t vote in Hartford in such a way that Hartford GOTV groups can integrate this knowledge into their strategies for action.
The objectives of this research are:
To collaborate with the Building Democracy Research Workgroup to develop or finalize project plans, data collection tools, and review materials for communication.
To conduct primary data collection (focus groups and surveys) and secondary research (analysis of public voting participation data) to inform research questions.
To develop communications materials that support local organizations and groups to collaborate with the community on designing action strategies for increasing voter turnout and civic engagement.
To hold action workshops to support use of the findings for action.
CTData will be collecting data via focus groups of Hartford residents aged 18 and older during early 2026.
Workgroup
We have developed a workgroup of organizations in the Hartford community that engage in civic engagement and voter education and registration efforts. This monthly group will:
Collaboratively analyze data through a series of guided questions.
Make recommendations in the design of materials, resources, etc. that can be used by community groups to take action, such as reports, visualizations, infographics, etc.
Provide advice into the design of focus groups, data collection tools, outreach strategy, and more.
Assist with focus group recruitment.
Group members:
Research Questions
Why do people vote? Why don’t people vote?
What are the structural barriers getting in the way of eligible voters from voting?
Timeline
June-December 2025: Design research and research materials
September 2025-April 2026: Workgroup meet monthly to guide research
November-December 2025: Recruit focus group sites
January - February 2026: Recruit focus group participants and run focus groups
February - March 2026: Data analaysis, collaborative analysis (data walk)
March-April 2026: Create reporting materials and run Action Workshops