Those of us who have reached a certain age were taught in elementary school that voting is the underlying power of a democracy, that it was both a privilege and a duty never to be ignored. We understood the seriousness of voting for our elected officials, that we were, each of us, guaranteed the right to cast our ballot. Going to the polling place was thrilling. Voting was not ever something we could take for granted, and I am, personally, nervous today about the whole process; a process that may be forever changed by the horror of coronavirus. What can we expect?
Sydney Rose, the charming, smart and hardworking director of programming, of www.vote.org talks to us about the state of voting today and the role of her organization in letting every voice be heard. What do we do when going to the polling place may be no longer an option? How has voting changed over time? What impact has the digital world and data science had on the process? How to encourage people to get to the polls when we can no longer volunteer to drive people to the polls? So many critical questions. How do states differ? Thankfully, there are equally as many answers as you will hear when you listen to Sydney. I not only learned a lot, but I found a great deal of comfort as well as faith in the future of our democratic system in what she says.
She invites you to get in touch with her at Sydney@vote.org if you need an absentee ballot. Franklin D. Roosevelt, US President from 1933 to 1945, warned us that nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.
Make sure your voice is heard. The vote.org staff is on your side. And, take a look here for a nice personal up-close chat with Sydney.
Her love letter? It involves a personal family history of brilliance and accomplishment and her family’s role in her own life of career choices that have increased strength for people who benefit from non-profits. She will write to her brilliant grandmother, the person who most affected Sydney’s life, and whose historical first-of-its-kind academic accomplishment still stands out as stunning. And, where will she mail that letter for maximum impact? Listen and her her explain to whom and why. Sydney is an example of life lived beautifully in so many ways.