Coalitions are the bread and butter of the type of public-interest advocacy we engage in at Common Cause Rhode Island. On voting rights, for example, we collaborate with many groups, including the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. Combining their voices with ours can bring a variety of benefits, not the least of which is raising the profile of an issue.
In a small state such as Rhode Island coalitions also play an important role through the division of labor. Rhode Island is too small to support reform groups working in many specialized areas, such as election administration. That is why sometimes we must find partners to collaborate with in unlikely places.
In 2012, two Rhode Island School of Design undergraduates volunteered on Election Day with Common Cause as nonpartisan poll watchers. The students noticed how poor design at the polling places affected voters negatively, such as leading them to the wrong line. As a result, they became interested in connecting their classwork with election practices, so I worked with them to secure internships with state election officials. Eventually they convinced RISD to allow a class on design and elections. Ultimately, Rhode Island improved the design of the materials every Rhode Islander sees at their polling place.
Without that type of collaboration, Rhode Island officials never would have received a design-based evaluation – and improvement. Likewise, those RISD students likely would have left our state without having engaged their temporary home as citizens. Finding nontraditional coalition partners can be a win-win.
