The Power of the Renter Housing Voter in Elections

Historically, renters have voted at far lower rates than homeowners for a number of reasons, but that trend is narrowing. And oftentimes, the power of the renter vote gets dismissed because it has been a long and wide perception that renters just do not vote. And for this reason, this group has remained largely untapped. However, when targeted with issues that resonate with renters, they will turn out particularly when rallying around local housing issues that speak to their immediate concerns. According to Apartment List, the 2020 presidential election had one of the highest turnout among renters at 55% than any other election it explored.

The Greater Charlotte Apartment Association’s Super PAC, the Rental Housing Alliance (RHA) launched a GOTV campaign that targeted apartment residents for the Charlotte Primary and General Elections held earlier this year. The RHA PAC endorsed and spent money on selected candidates with communications via online landing pages and text message ads. The RHA PAC supported mayoral and city council candidates who share its mission and vision on issues and policies that impact the way the apartment industry does business and the cost of doing business. In the primary election RHA had a 63% success rate and a 100% success rate in the General Election. Therefore, do not underestimate the power of the renter voter. Renters can rock the boat when it comes to the vote.