Mr. Woodall was our first visitor. He couldn't find his polling location. Since he has lived in West Akron, OH he has voted at Centenary United Methodist Church. Earlier this year the County election commissioners, half Republican and half Democratic came to a deadlock over the number of polling locations to close so the decision was up to our industrious Secretary of State who voted with the Republicans, closing almost half of the voting locations in the county. Mr. Woodall, a spry man looked to be someplace between 85 and 90 years old. He was going to be the first in line I imagine since our polls opened at 6:30 and he was at our door by 6:45. Luckily our fearless leader, Mary Sobah, is an expert at looking up polling locations so we were able to help. We thought maybe he had misplaced the bright orange card announcing the change in location. Then a younger woman came in and we knew we had a problem. We put together signs advising folks to come see us to figure out their new polling location. We posted them at Centenary UMC. By mid-morning eight people came in trying to figure out where they were to vote. We expect more. We were happy to be open at 5:30 this morning. We worry we missed some of those early voters who didn't know we are here.
We have 6 volunteers out working eight areas of our ward, reminding people to vote, asking questions about polling locations, listening for other instances of voter suppression. We understand we are ahead on percentages at the polling locations. More updates as we have them.
It's been a busy morning.
Thanks for doing this. So much depends on persistence, resistance, remembering.
ReplyDeleteVote suppression exists in many forms in the US, here in NYC they dissuaded people from voting for independents in the last electoin - and one independent was spied on by Cyveillance, a Bush owned firm.
ReplyDeleteOther forms of vote suppression exist when states implement laws and the federal government overrides their rights - seen with the well known medical marihuana laws and the less well known hemp farming laws. The latter go into effect to serve the economic needs of the people - whose first flag was made on it and whose first chads were made of it.
So there is a petition to stop this going to the White House, with support from the likes of Cynthia McKinney (who was taken out of office by gerrymandering, another form of vote suppresion) - it is up at www.minawear.com/about-us/ - your vote will not be suppressed and you can leave a comment!
For more info on hemp check out www.hempforvictory.blogspot.com