Page 5 - Torch - March 2020
P. 5

Rollin to the Polls Voting Initiative
                Educates and Mobilizes Voters
                       for Alabama Primary

            With  the  elections  so  critical  to  our  community,  the
            Rollin to the Polls Voting Initiative (RTTP) stepped up
            their efforts to register,  educate, and  mobilize citizens
            to vote ahead of the March 3rd primary. Directed under
            the  Political  Awareness  and  Involvement  Committee,

            RTTP partnered with several organizations such at the
            American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Southern Pov-
            erty  Law  Center  (SPLC),  Legal  Defense  Fund  (LDF),
            Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and many others to
            conduct  voter  registration  drives  and  a  voting  rights
            restoration clinic to help ex-offenders restore their right

            to vote.

            RTTP  also  conducted  candidate  forums  on  a  majority
            of  the  local  primary  races:  Montgomery  County  Com-
            mission,  Montgomery  County  School  Board,  Circuit
            Court  Judicial,  and  District  Court  Judicial.  With  input
            from  the  community,  candidates  in  all  the  races  were
            fielded  questions  prepared  by  the  moderators;  Soror

            Kynesha  Brown,  chair  of  the  Political  Awareness  and   the  rain,  turnout  was  steady  and  averaged  around
            Involvement  Committee;  Dillon  Nettles,  Policy  Analyst   32%. After the March 3 primary, voter registration and
            of  the  American  Civil  Liberties  Union;  and  JaTaune   mobilizations  efforts  will  resume  until  November  3,
            Bosby,  Developmental  Director  of  the  American  Civil   2020, in preparation for the general election to choose
            Liberties  Union.  Each  forum  was  held  every  week     the  President  of  the  United  States,  congressional

            during  the  month  of  February  to  allow  residents  of   seats,  and  the  state  school  board  of  education  seat
            Montgomery  to  meet  and  hear  candidates,  discuss   formally  held  by  the  late  Soror  Ella  Bell.  During  this
            their  platforms  and  ideas.  Between  the  three  forums,   election cycle, RTTP was able to register 365 new vot-
            over 400 residents of Montgomery attended.          ers and assisted in restoring the voting rights to over 32
                                                                individuals.  RTTP  will  expand  efforts  to  engage  resi-
            To mobilize and engage residents to vote, RTTP spent
                                                                dents in Autauga and Elmore counties. If you are inter-
            time  canvassing  in  several  neighborhoods  –  knocking
                                                                ested in volunteering with the Rollin to the Polls Voting
            on  over  1,000  doors.    A  social  media  campaign  to
                                                                Initiative or would like more information, please contact
            educate  the  public  on  constitutional  Amendment  1  –
                                                                Soror Kynesha Brown at Kynesha.brown@gmail.com.
            which would dissolve the elected State School Board of
            Education if enacted – was also used.

            On Election Day, volunteers with RTTP weathered the
            storms  to  drive  dozens  of  voters  to  the  polls.  Despite
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