EIC, The Bold Opinion
Within the last decade, the U.S. has seen increased efforts by politicians and other organizers to suppress a citizen’s right to vote during election time. Resolution outcries roared.
Voter suppression is defined as a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by deterring or discouraging certain groups of people from voting. Cheating, in simpler terms. Examples of this form of political swindling include restricted voting times, inaccessible ballot box locations, restricted registration, imposing strict voter ID laws, and improper purging.
As the nation observed these unfair situations take place, many organizations and politicians have gotten behind efforts to ensure every American can safely exercise their right to vote, obstacle-free.
Organizations like Power The Vote have emerged to help correct the corruption by creating a multilingual voter protection hotline, providing poll-watchers for onsite support, expanding early voting locations, absentee ballot assistance, and more.
“In states like Georgia, the landscape is really difficult for voters. The barriers for voting, for some, are difficult to overcome. It’s systemic, not just a single voter not having a single problem,” said Kimberly Allen, Co-Founder of Power The Vote.
Voter protection efforts, however, seemed to cease once election season concluded. All organizations disappeared after the hype was over, all except a hand full. This is where the founders of Power The Vote found a window of opportunity to best serve their communities around the clock.
“We understood that voter protection is, not only a critical part of the infrastructure during elections, but it should be a critical part of the infrastructure year around,” said Jamil Favors, Co-Founder of Power The Vote.
Although Power The Vote started its efforts in Georgia, a battle ground state that flipped blue in the 2020 Presidential Election, the team has taken what they’ve learned and is applying it to other states that have experienced voter suppression in their communities.
Organizations like Power The Vote exist to resolve a single problem. Once that problem is solved, there shouldn’t be a need for voter protection efforts like these in the future.
“It’s crazy that we need an elaborate architecture to help voters exercise their fundamental right to vote. I hope, that at some point, we will overcome these voting barriers, shift the voter suppression landscape, and then, we can start to solve other problems as well,” said Allen.
To learn more about Power The Vote, please visit their website and follow them on social media to put boots-on-the-ground and get involved.
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