Since Sherri Masson graduated from Camp Wellstone in Chicago, she has been working hard in her hometown of Milford, Michigan to organize teachers to participate in the election and be knowledgeable about the current important issues facing public education. Through a National Education Association Get Out the Vote effort that is being done at the local level, called MEA Votes!, Sherri has worked to ensure that teachers have all the information in front of them before they head to the ballot box. At her school's opening day assembly, Sherri provided all teachers with cards stating Republican and Democratic stands on public education, specifically the No Child Left Behind legislation.
In addition, Sherri has been working hard with the Million Mom March, fighting for the renewal of the assault weapons ban. She has alerted Million Mom members to current issues in gun control legislation, and provided tools for them to lobby members of Congress who can make a difference on the issue. Importantly, she also educated members on the voting records of members of Congress on previous gun control bills and identified those lawmakers who might be undecided. Sherri notes that "Camp Wellstone helped me understand why I need to be an activist. I've come to realize that what I want to do is be a voice for those who have no voice or don't believe they have one....Whether it's getting the family members of gun victims to Washington, targeting and registering minority voters or teaching kids to read and write. It's about empowering people."
Adrienne Brown, a star of the Youth Summit - Camp Wellstone in Atlanta, has been working in New York City with the League of Independent Voters, also known as the League of Pissed- Off Voters. Adrienne is the Program Director for the League, an organization committed to mobilizing 17-35 year olds to take part in the democratic process and to build a progressive governing majority in their lifetime. The League encourages peer-to-peer voter organizing. This means starting with yourself and your group of friends and then moving on to organize the vote on your campus or in your community.
Adrienne reminds us that it is helpful to think about voter education in three different areas:
- education about the electoral process itself - basic civics 101,
- education about the voting process, and
- education about what and who is on the ballot. She says many young people don't vote because they don't know who or what to vote for and don't know who to ask. They also don't know what's in it for them and why their voice makes a difference. The League encourages young people and others to create their own voter guides, with an eye to educating non-voters about the candidates and the issues.
She encourages people who want to create their own voter guides to consider the following:
- Many of the folks we're trying to reach aren't college educated. Assemble an editing team that didn't go to college to make sure your materials are accessible and engaging.
- Ask someone whose first language is not English to translate materials for their community.
- Make sure it looks hot! If it looks like a billion words all over the page, folks will treat it like any other mass of small print and ignore it. Be succinct, clear and fun with your language and don't be afraid of using some innovative design!
For a step-by-step look at creating a voter guide, see http://www.indyvoter.org/article.php?id=34
Check out the League of Independent Voters on their website at www.indyvoter.org.
