Plenty of working-class and low-income people do vote regularly: 88 of our 232 respondents voted in both midterms and Presidential elections (and often in state and local contests as well). The regular voters in our sample are, on average, slightly better off financially and slightly older than the 144 people discussed above. They are also somewhat more likely to believe some kind of change is possible through politics, to say they feel a duty to vote, and to feel they had a personal stake in politics.

However, many of the regular voters we spoke with share the frustrations and concerns about politics described above; 82% agree that politics is mostly by and for other (generally richer) people. Almost all of these regular voters are also deeply skeptical about whether political involvement is worthwhile. At the time of their interviews, they were continuing to turn out because they felt a duty to vote, or because the small effort it took seemed worth the small chance of making a difference. But there is no guarantee that these regular voters will continue to vote.

The working-class and low-income people we spoke with – both voters and nonvoters – told us over and over again that politics seems disconnected from their lives and experiences. They feel unheard, unrepresented, and uninspired by politics and politicians. They want solutions to problems affecting their lives and their communities – but many do not see how voting could make a difference.

If the pervasive sense among low-income and working-class people that politics is by, for, and about the well-off is not addressed, we are likely to continue to see substantial portions of the multi-racial working class staying home on election days, and further increases in racial and class turnout gaps.

Those who want our democracy to truly represent all its citizens, who care about the concerns of low income and working-class people, or who want to earn their votes, need to create and sustain real connections with people and communities who do not currently feel represented.

We asked all our interviewees what would help them feel more engaged with politics. Based on their answers, along with the rest of what we learned from our interviews, we outline three key ways to increase political participation among working-class and low-income people in the United States. Our recommendations are for any campaign, advocacy group, party, or civic organization interested in increasing political participation among working-class and low-income people. We lay out the broad recommendations below, detail the evidence behind them, and suggest ideas for implementing them in the next three sections.

The decline in voting among low-income and working-class people across the last decade, and the urgent need to build a healthier and more responsive democracy in the United States, necessitate large-scale efforts to include low-income and working-class people in electoral politics. There are already some great organizations and initiatives working on some of these recommendations, but not yet at the scale or depth needed.

The exact strategies different organizations should take depend on their particular mission, tax status, and capacity; here, we give just a few examples of what implementing these recommendations might look like.