For many people and communities voting can feel like an act that is disjointed from their everyday life. For many reasons people have given up on being civically engaged. This part of Voter Formation Project's campaign was to address that concern head on, making the voting process and civic engagement personal. We worked with everyday people in different communities to talk about what voting meant to them and their families. With so much information coming our way it's not hard to feel overwhelmed and disengaged but ultimately voting is something that's very personal and impacts us all. Below is just a fraction of the interviews we were able to conduct.
María, Farmer and Voting Advocate
Video edit by Lesley Steele
It was important for us that we found people to share their stories with us that reflected the audience we were trying to reach. María is a farmer and works to get Latinx people out to vote. She shared with us the story of her family, who is mixed status, and how important voting is to her in ensuring her families safety. She also emphasized the importance of civic engagement and why she's fighting so hard to ensure accessibility to voting information.
Graphics by A'lysia Alcorn
Darrin, Fletcher St. Urban Riding Club
Video edit by Lizzy Barrett
For our work in Pennsylvania we wanted to work with an organization that had a deeply entrenched history in the state. We had the privilege to work with Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club and tag along in a "day in the life" style. We interviewed Darrin, a pillar in the community and son of Ellis Ferrell, founder of FSURC, about the role the organization plays in the community and how that was connected to voting. Voting was something personal to him in caring for the club and the children it serves since elected officials help to keep the club going.
Graphics By Tiarra Lucas
Michael, Marine Corps Veteran
Video edit by Lizzy Barrett
For our anticipated programming in VA we wanted to focus in on a Veteran audience since there is such a large presence of service members and veterans in the state. Michael is a Marine Corps veteran that served 30 years and is now a grandfather. Throughout his interview he talked about the connections between voting and securing democracy for future generations.
