Rev. Dr. William J Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, National Co-Chairs of the Poor People's Campaign, address moral activists at the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly & Moral March on Washington DC & to the Polls in Washington D.C., on June 29, 2024.
Dear John,
There’s less than a week left before this year’s crucial elections.
While all eyes are on the race for the White House, we must remember that all sorts of things are on the ballot this year – from deciding whether abortion will be a right in states like Arizona and Florida to whether Missouri will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The only way we can win these rights is by getting out and voting. And let us be clear: not voting is not an option!
If you think your vote doesn’t matter, let’s remember that in each of the nation’s so-called battleground states – where the election is expected to be the closest – poor and low-wage people make up many times the margin of victory. Your vote can shift election outcomes in these and other states across the nation.
Yet in the previous presidential election, millions of poor and low-wage people did not vote. By voting this year, these voters can use the power given to them by the U.S. Constitution to help change the political and economic architecture of this country.
Just listen to Shontya Lawrence, a childcare provider and member of the North Carolina Poor People’s campaign from Raleigh, North Carolina.
She recently spoke at our National Virtual Get Out The Vote Rally about why she’s voting this year.
“We childcare providers love our job. We have to love it – because the money isn’t keeping us here. I hear all the time people saying that our children are the most important resource that we have. Which makes me wonder if that’s true. Why am I still one of 3.5 million poor and low-income North Carolinians?” she asked. “I always vote. It’s not an option. It’s the people we elect who make it so that people like me and my colleagues have to scrape to get by in the richest nation on earth. We are the sleeping giant in this election and we are waking up and waking up our colleagues and communities to vote this year. We know that our votes are demands to pay us what we deserve.”
Wayne Skattum, a member of the Wisconsin Poor People’s Campaign, agreed. This is what he argued.
“If someone thinks that their vote doesn’t count, I ask this question: If our vote doesn’t count then why is the status quo power and moneyed ruling class so intent on passing laws all across this country to disenfranchise whole blocs of voters? My answer is that they know we have power and are afraid of the power we have by voting. So vote! Our vote is power and our voice. Our vote will and is changing the narrative.”
We have the power. Vote!
GET READY TO VOTE
As we approach next week’s election, it’s important to make sure you have everything you need to vote.
If you’ve already mailed in your ballot, great.
If you still need to vote, make sure you have a plan to make sure your ballot is counted. That includes:
Checking if you need a mail-in ballot or will be voting in person
Figuring out a time to vote
Finding out where you will vote
Securing transportation to the polling place
Making sure you have time off work or have secured childcare if you need to
If you live in a state with a voter ID requirement, making sure you have the documentation you need to vote
As a reminder, we’ve put together a voting education page to support you as you make preparations to vote. The page offers a variety of resources to prepare for this year’s elections, including:
A Voting Record:
This voting record graphic will help you see where candidates and parties in every state stand on the big issues of the day, from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour to lowering prescription drug prices. It offers detailed information about how they’ve voted on these issues in the past.
Voter Protection Resources: These resources include voter protection hotlines and websites for help if you face any issues voting. Trained experts will ensure you are able to cast a ballot.
Everything You Need to Vote: This graphic includes clickable links to essential resources, such as important deadlines for voting in your state, registration checks, absentee ballot requests, ballot previews ahead of time, finding local polling place locators, election reminders, and registration to vote.
We encourage you to share this page with your friends, family, and social networks. These resources will help guarantee that we can mobilize many poor and low-income infrequent voters during this year’s elections.
JOIN THE MOBILIZATION
Contact your state Poor People’s Campaign to join our mass mobilization effort.
Click here to visit Vote.org/ppc to check your registration, register to vote, request an absentee ballot, check what’s on your ballot, and get election reminders to make sure you’re where you need to be on election day.
You can also help spread the word among your friends, family, and social networks.
Forward Together, Not One Step Back
Bishop William J. Barber, II, DMin
National Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
President & Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach
Founding Director, Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
National Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice
