Maya McFadden Photo
The New Haven Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is focusing on efforts to increase voter access and engagement throughout the state, especially amongst youth.
Markeshia Ricks, Veronica DeLandro, Denise Merrill, Akia Callum.
The sorority hosted a virtual town hall gathering via Zoom Wednesday night of current and former elected officials and community activists to discuss the importance of making voting accessible in the age of Covid-19.
The meeting was moderated by a member of New Haven Delta alumnae chapter, Markeshia Ricks. The panelists included former New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, State Sen. Marilyn Moore, Adjoa Botwe Asamoah of ABA Consulting, Akia Callum, president of the CT State Conference NAACP Youth and College Division, and former District Director Veronica DeLandro.
Callum led the conversation about the many barriers for student voters during election time, like transportation and lack of accessibility to registration.
“We have to meet them where they are,” said Callum.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill received support from the other panelists for her ongoing efforts to provide state residents with more access to absentee ballots and voting. Merrill showed a video clip from the New York Times expressing her fear of the Connecticut election resulting in residents being forced to put their health and safety on the back burner.
Moore said she supports Merrill’s efforts to encourage no-excuses mail-in voting to avoid overcrowded polls. If Covid-19 keeps people out of the process this election cycle, Moore said, it could cause Connecticut voters to become comfortable not voting in the future.
The panelist agreed with Callum that registering to vote and voting need to be a part of the “common conversation.”
Panelist ideas for voting reforms included extending voting to more than one day, letting registered voters vote at any polling place rather a designated one, requiring school systems to have accessible voter registration forms for eligible students, and to incorporate curriculum about the importance of voting in junior and senior courses.
The audience members of the town hall were asked to fill out two polls. The first included two questions for the panel to gather audience members’ feelings and understandings of the state primary.
The final poll discussed the panel’s effectiveness in discussing voter empowerment for the audience of more than 90 viewers.
“Despite Covid, we will remain focused on Election 2020,” said Karen DuBois-Walton, president of Elm City Communities.
School based registration is simple and straight-forward. Registrars or others could set-up tables in schools, or it could be arranged through senior class homerooms. It might be a few times a year. Registration in Connecticut is actually very easy, just fill out a form and mail it in. Besides the high schools, registrars or political groups should hold registration drives at the local colleges in the class registration period as well as perhaps mid to late October.
As for transpiration to the polls, most New Haveners are within walking distance of a polling station. What are there, 32 stations? Plus, most political parties offer free rides to teh polls on Election Day. Lack of transpiration is no excuse for anyone, but especially able-bodied young adults.