USE YOUR VOICE—TELL US WHAT ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU
YWCA is putting forth a locally driven, multi-racial movement to increase voter participation by putting the needs and interests of everyday people at the center of local elections in Madison County in 2021. “We know that when candidates speak to the issues that matter, our communities are more likely to vote,” observed Faye Taylor, member of YWCA’s Get Out the Vote Project. “We also know that traditional engagement opportunities are limited due to COVID-19. This is why we are reaching out to potential voters to find out what they think.”
To accomplish this, the GOTV Project, part of the YWCA Advocacy Committee, developed a Google Doc which can be accessed by clicking on the link https://tinyurl.com/voterengageywca.
“We are inviting people to take a few minutes to fill out this form and let us know what issues are important to them,” Ms. Taylor stated. “The first question is, ‘If you were across the table from your local candidate, what would you ask him/her?”
“If we receive questions from citizens in towns other than Alton and Godfrey, we will track the responses by municipality and share the questions with the candidates from the applicable community, asking for their response,” Ms. Taylor disclosed. “These responses will be provided to the public, via the YWCA website and candidates will be invited to respond directly to the person posing the question,” she added.
“We hope that people will share their questions and concerns with us so that we can share those with the people who will be in a position to address those concerns if elected,” Ms. Taylor said. “Please let us know what is on your mind and what issues you think should be a priority for officials in your town. When candidates speak to issues that matter, citizens are more likely to vote. That is our goal.”
If you are unable to access the on-line document, you can still submit your question, in writing, to the YWCA GOTV Project, 304 E. Third Street, Alton, IL 62002. Please include your street address, as well as your email address if you have one. You are asked to submit your question(s) by March 8, 2021.
YWCA TO HOST GODFREY AND ALTON MAYORAL VOTER FORUMS VIA ZOOM
On Monday, March 15, 2021, the GOTV Project will host a virtual candidate forum for the Village of Godfrey mayoral candidates at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. At that time, questions received from Godfrey citizens will be put to the participating candidates. To register for this event, please follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/GodfreyVote
Likewise, a virtual mayoral candidate forum has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, where questions from Alton citizens will be addressed to the participating mayoral candidates. To register for this event, please follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/AltonVote
REMEMBER – OUR VOICES HAVE POWER.
In this critical moment, remember: our voices have power. And through our votes, we will be heard.
Ensuring access to the voting booth is an important part of YWCA’s commitment to eliminating racism and empowering women and—now more than ever—it is critical to ensuring a healthy, safe, empowered future for our communities. Higher voter participation has been associated with higher employment rates, lower recidivism rates, and more positive health outcomes in communities, as well increased attention from our elected officials and candidates for office.
New challenges to the voting process posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic, along with pre-existing systemic and historical barriers to the voting booth for communities of color, have made our collective commitment to civic engagement even more critical this election year.