A Democracy NC staffer was tagged in this Facebook post from a volunteer who helped give rides to the polls in Durham on Election Day. We were inspired by the political awakening she describes and received permission to re-post her message on our blog.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
My consciousness shifted yesterday. I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty socially aware person. But really, I had no clue.
Yesterday I drove folks to the polls who wouldn’t have otherwise voted. During a meager 3 hours of service we met a single mom with a 12 year old daughter who spends 4 hours on the bus, 5 days a week, to get to and from her job as a cashier at Five Guys; an 18 year old man from NYC whose mother died 2 years ago and who’s since been bounced around from family member to family member until he finally got a place of his own a few months ago (his next goal is to buy a car); and his 19 year old girlfriend who didn’t understand that “Election Day” meant that that was her last opportunity to vote in the Presidential election. She’s been too distracted with basic survival to catch the details. She stopped making her cornbread and rushed out the door to catch a ride with us when she found out we could help her vote for the first time (she was at least registered).
These are real human beings with real stories. The voter turn-out problem is not about lazy, apathetic voters. It’s about registered voters who know they should vote – and even know the issues and who they want to vote for – but whose in the moment, immediate concerns are hard to connect to who is in office locally or nationally. They’re focused on putting food on their tables, keeping their children warm as winter approaches and praying that by some Grace of God that their children will stay out of trouble despite their inability to spend quality time with them. They’re dealing with their subtle or not-so-subtle depression, hopelessness and apathy toward the world. They are doing their very best every single day to try to get ahead, but somehow keep coming up short. My guess is it’s because they just can’t seem to catch a break; no one’s offering them an encouraging word, or a smile even, and thanking them for being a part of this giant web of humanity that we weave, TOGETHER. Next time you buy a burger at Five Guys – or buy anything anywhere for that matter – be kind to the human being in front of you.
I’m not big on canvassing, or trying to convince people to vote one way or another, but I am big on everyone having the opportunity to vote and it not being an absolute nightmare to just to get to the polls. I’m overcoming my past lack of understanding and I’m ready to learn how I can help make elections as graceful and easy as they can and should be. I’m fired up. I’m motivated. I will not be immobilized now!
And you know where I’ll be during the next election? Back at a bus stop. Helping people get home quicker than they would have on the bus, even with a stop at the polls along the way. And I’ll smile and look into their eyes and ask them to teach me something else about life that I didn’t know that I didn’t know.
– Amy, age 31
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