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The Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project (MHVEP) took a national turn on January 18 as thirteen representatives from seven different states attended a training held in Long Beach, California on how to launch voter empowerment campaigns in their own regions. The training, organized by the National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center (NCSTAC) of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), was based upon the curriculum already developed in New York State by Ken Steele, MHVEP's founder, and Joseph Glazer, president of the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS). In October 1999, NMHA launched the National MHVEP in collaboration with Mental Health Associations (MHA) and consumer supporter organizations. At these trainings, participants will receive a start-up package to replicate this program.

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to take this project to the national level," said Catherine Huynh, NCSTAC project director. "People with mental disorders are among America's most disenfranchised groups, and our efforts to build a mental illness constituency amounts to one of the last great civil rights movements." Some 40 million American adults are estimated to experience psychiatric symptoms, and many of these individuals are under the mistaken impression that they are not allowed to vote.

Between 1994 and 1998, Ken Steele, a consumer advocate spearheaded MHVEP in New York City. During that time he registered nearly 28,000 voters through an effort aimed at assisting mental health consumers to become a true electoral force. In 1997, Steele and Glazer, with MHANYS planned to take the MHVEP statewide in New York and several community projects outside of NYC are only now beginning. They also went to Houston, Texas to encourage the start of an MHVEP in Harris County, Texas.

Both Steele and Glazer presented at the Long Beach training, covering such topics as how to set up a campaign advisory board; how to legally and effectively maintain a database of project participants; how to find, educate and register voters; how to get out the vote; and how to tally the number of registrants who actually vote on election day.

In addition, Christine Simiriglia of the MHA of Southeastern Pennsylvania reported from the lessons learned in her own organization's voter empowerment campaign launched in Philadelphia. Patrick Cody of the NMHA also presented on how to work with the media, emphasizing the importance of an effective media strategy in order to attract registrants, volunteers and potential donors. As a NCSTAC staff member, I discussed how participants could train other organizations in their states to launch their own campaigns.

Additional National MHVEP trainings will be held in February in Orlando, Florida, in March in Atlanta, Georgia and in June in Washington, D.C. Individuals wishing to learn more about these trainings or who are interested in attending should contact Beth Schaar of NCSTAC at (703) 837-4795. Further information is also available on the NCSTAC web site at www.ncstac.org/ or e-mail ConsumerTA@nmha.org.