ethics news & views

EASL student creates get-out-the-vote program

By Meris M. Lutz. When College junior Wiatta Thomas first began her Ethics and Servant Leadership internship last summer at Atlanta Nine to Five, the local chapter of national activist organization Working Women, she never imagined she would be founding a voter-education program in low-income housing projects across the city.

“There’s a lot of [housing] projects in Atlanta, somewhere around 32,” Thomas said. “That’s a whole lot of people to reach.”

So far, three classes have been held at Bankhead Homes in Fulton County. Next month, the classes will be held in Herndon Homes in Atlanta.

The classes, which started at the beginning of the semester, cover basic voting procedure and rights for both national and local government elections.

But the objective is to remain nonpartisan while still trying to get the message out, she said.

Thomas said she started the program when she realized most voter registration campaigns don’t have follow-up programs.

Many people take the time to fill out a registration form but don’t understand the democratic process, she said.

“[A lot of] low-wage workers ... may be registered to vote, but a lot of them don’t know how to vote, where to vote, why they’re voting,” Thomas said. “A lot of them don’t even have basic civic education. They don’t see how voting correlates with change happening.”

One of the concerns among the primarily black tenants of Bankhead is that their votes won’t be counted, Thomas said. Many feel black voters in Florida were disenfranchised in the last presidential election and fear something similar may happen in Georgia, she added.

Thomas said she was surprised that participants had so many misconceptions about their basic voting rights.

Many participants assumed they could not vote because of minor traffic infractions or because they had some kind of warrant out for their arrest, she said.

“Education in politics is something everyone needs all the time, not just elections,” she said.

Thomas is working on arranging transportation to the polls for the election, but she intends to continue the program year-round and to expand it to as many housing projects as she can in Atlanta.

“It’s really, really awesome when you can give them the power to feel like they can do something,” Thomas said.

There are currently six volunteers working for the program, but Thomas said more she wants to have more. So far, the classes have been well-attended and the participants enthusiastic, Thomas said.

Extra incentives, like groceries or school supplies are often offered for those who attend, but most come out of desire to educate themselves about their voting rights, she added.

“We’ve had people who walk out of class really motivated,” Thomas said. “They have rights, and they feel really empowered when they leave.”

Reprinted from the October 22, 2004 edition of The Emory Wheel. Used by permission.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter at December 1, 2004 10:05 AM | More Ethics and Servant Leadership articles ]

© 2000-2004 by the Center for Ethics, Emory University. Some rights reserved.