President Pelton Co-Authors Op-ed Urging Communities of Color to Vote: Commonwealth Magazine
President Pelton co-authored an op-ed with Steven W. Tompkins, sheriff of Suffolk County, and Michael Curry, member of the National NAACP board of directors, in which they discuss the reasons behind low voter turnout in men and women of color, citing data from the 2016 election and 2018 midterms. Regardless of the reasons, they urge and implore all to vote.
So, what can we as citizens do to restore and ensure equality, fairness and, most importantly, faith in our system of voting? For starters, we need to establish truly non-partisan independent redistricting commissions; standardize the process for voting across the country; make “vote by mail” available to all American citizens in every election; put an end to discriminatory voter ID and “use it or lose it” laws; provide appropriate language translation materials and services; restore the right to vote for all returning citizens across the country; and make Election Day a holiday of national service. But the most crucial first step that we need to take as a nation, and particularly in communities of color, is to engage in a little bit of what Congressman Lewis used to call “good trouble” and “wield that most powerful non-violent tool that we have” by coming out to vote this election season.
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