To the editor:
Seven months ago, members of Ohio Valley NOW, your local chapter of the National Organization for Women, began a task to make a difference at the ballot box in our state. Our chapter was awarded a substantial Get Out the Vote grant from the national NOW Foundation. We used that to create a project to encourage young people in Jefferson and Belmont counties to exercise their right to vote. The grant specifically targeted student voters, a significant demographic often overlooked in our region.
We took a somewhat different approach to reaching out to students. We spoke to them through social media and by visiting their campuses; we brought the registration process directly to them. Nothing was cloaked in red, white and blue. Instead we approached them in ways to which they could relate. Young people today are living in a very different world from the one in which most of us grew up. They have to worry about safety at school, learn how to escape an active shooter and face an uncertain future, not knowing if they will be able to pay their bills, have clean air to breathe or come anywhere close to living the American Dream. They have no real connection to tradition. They have watched their parents embrace tradition and it hasn't paid off.
We visited them on many occasions at the campuses of Eastern Gateway Community College, Belmont College and Ohio University Eastern. In addition, we took part in the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Career Fair as part of our efforts to engage with high school seniors who would be eligible to register to vote in 2023. Our grant also allowed us to advocate for nonpartisan issues, so we distributed 100 very visible Vote Yes on Issue One signs and provided them for free to supporters. We did TV interviews, produced and aired GOTV radio commercials and held a 24-hour social media share-a-thon on the day before Tuesday's election. Volunteers stepped forward to help us accomplish those tasks and the credit for much of our success goes to them. I applaud the GOTV team and everyone who contributed to this program.
We talked with every student we could, knowing that some had no desire to vote. Our job was to address their disenfranchisement and show them how they can take control of their future. We showed them how easy it is to register to vote, we talked with them about the benefits of voting absentee or working at the polls and made sure we put the paperwork into their hands. That also included us returning their completed forms directly to the board of elections.
Again, let me thank the GOTV team and all of our volunteers, and most of all, the students, who listened to our message that, if they vote, they can rule the world.
Marjie DeFede
Rayland