Thursday, March 28, 2024

I was pleading for ten; now I’m begging for five

September 6, 2016 by  
Filed under Community

BY LOUIE OVERSTREET

Louie Overstreet

About a year ago, I figured this would provide enough lead time to implement a Ten Point Voter Participation Plan that I developed based on tested methods and new approaches. Now, with just over 60 days remaining until America’s fate is determined on Nov. 8, we only have time to make sure that five of the original ten participation points can be implemented.

Preamble: The plan has fundamental A, B, and C purposes: A) to preserve and protect the constitutionally guaranteed right of all citizens to cast votes in special, primary, and general elections free of all efforts that in any way result in the suppression of this right; B) to reverse, in one election cycle, historically low voter participation percentages that are now at their lowest since 1942; and C) to restore the direct link of faith to the legacy of the struggles endured in the middle decades of the 20th Century — led by people of goodwill, who were willing to risk everything to force our nation to live up to the precepts embodied in some of the most beautiful words ever written.

• Pastors of black churches — big and small — should obtain voting rolls from the last election, and match them with church memberships rolls to determine who needs to be registered.

• Conduct voter registration drives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Over 300,000 students attend HBCUs.

• Conduct voter registration drives in senior health care and assisted living facilities, as well as at Department of Motor Vehicles locations.

• Approach owners of local popular gathering places, and ask that only patrons with proof of voter registration be allowed to enter. On weekends, arrange for a voter registrar to be on site.

• Build coalitions with groups that have similar missions.

Folks: if the two conventions held back in July — and the manner in which the campaigns have been conducted for the past month — don’t move you to get behind at least one of those initiatives, then don’t complain about the late night results to be revealed on Nov. 8.

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