Getting the Vote Out in 2004 - Forums Scheduled

OVEC and the Huntington-Cabell branch of NAACP are working together to get out the vote this year. The campaign seeks to empower the voting block in Huntington’s District 5, a largely minority and mainly lower-income population that is underrepresented in local and state politics.

Recently, the boundaries of District 5 were expanded to include parts of a middle-upper class neighborhood. The change sapped strength from the former District 5, as minority neighborhoods have about a 60 percent lower voter turnout than the new communities added to the district. The former minority District 5 had voter turnouts as low as 35 percent, while the neighborhoods added to the district have consistently turned out over 90 percent of registered voters.

This is not just a trend among the voters in this one minority district; it is also a trend in the entire state. Only 1,060,892 (76 percent) of the state’s 1.4 million eligible voters were actually registered in 2000. The other factor is that only 660,489 (61 percent) of those registered actually voted. That’s an eligible voter turnout rate of only 47 percent.

This gap in voter turnout creates a gap in representation. There are five candidates vying for the one seat to represent District 5 on Huntington City Council. Two candidates are from outside the former District 5 and would likely represent the interests of the better-off neighborhoods. If the voting trends continue as they have and one of these candidates is elected, resources will be further drained from the minority population in Huntington.

This gap in representation between the high-income population and those with lower-incomes is present elsewhere in the state. The interests of those with higher incomes usually prevail over those with lower incomes, partly because higher-income people tend to turn out to vote in higher numbers.

OVEC and the NAACP will be providing an opportunity for the residents of the minority neighborhoods to meet their potential representatives by having a "meet the candidates" event on April 13 from 6-8 p.m. at the A.D. Lewis Community Center in Huntington (prior to the primary elections). We’ll co-sponsor a second such event before the general elections in November.

Additionally, the NAACP Youth Council is planning to canvass the neighborhoods in order to raise awareness of the issues, register new people to vote, activate the voting population, and thus draw bigger numbers to the polls. The NAACP youth are also going to organize and facilitate voting day events, from which people will be taken to the polls to encourage voter turnout. After all, your vote is your voice!

To get more information about the planned events, or to volunteer, call Abe at (304) 522-0246.