As November grows closer, many community leaders are working hard to make sure residents are registered to vote. Several Black leaders in the Cincinnati community shared their initiative to get more Black community members to the polls.
What You Need To Know
- Black pastors and leaders came together to launch the Voting is Essential campaign
- The group is encouraging the Black community to register to vote, vote early if voting by mail, and to cast their ballot this fall
- The group is hosting drive-thrus at local churches to get residents registered to vote
Before we know it, Election Day will be here. And since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, mail-in ballots are expected to be the most in history, which is why these Black leaders and pastors of Cincinnati came together to share their Voting is Essential campaign.
“We must do everything in our power to make sure that their vote is counted,” said Pastor Quentin Monroe, the president of the Greater Cincinnati National Action Network. “Every vote must be counted.”
The campaign is a product of the March on Washington just a few weeks ago. Community leaders are worried with so many mail-in ballots this year, that there could be some that aren’t counted.
“We are so exhausted of having this conversation every two, every four years where people are confused. Can I mail my ballot in? Will it actually be counted?” said Eddie Koen, the CEO of the Southwest Ohio Urban League
The campaign will host several drive-thru opportunities at local churches to get community members registered to vote. They’ve also established a hotline for people to call in case of any voting questions to ensure everyone is getting accurate information.
“People need someone to call, someone they trust, where can they go?” Alicia Reece a member of the national board of the National Action Network said. “Well, they can come through the drive-thrus, talk with their pastors or their congregations that can give them accurate information. They can call the hotline and get a real person on the phone.”
The group is also asking employers to give paid time off on Election Day so employees can work the polls. There’re worried that some polls may be shut down if there aren’t the right amount of workers from different political parties at each location.
“There’s no active plan to shut down polling sites, but if by law they have to, that’s an issue,” Koen said. “This gets to the heart of disenfranchising folks. So, we are trying to do as much as we can to ask folks to step up the day of to make sure every one has a voice.”
