Voter turnout is generally pretty high for presidential elections, and a little lower for state contests. When only local issues and candidates are on the ballot, turnout can be pretty dismal. The Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP hopes to change that by reaching disaffected communities.
Chapter President Joe Mallory says for some people, it's not a matter of apathy.
"One of the fears we've found out was that people were afraid — they'd never voted, [and] they'd say, 'I don't know how to vote. I don’t want to mess up,' " Mallory says. "You can't mess up, but there's different things like language on there: 'Vote for not more than one.' 'Vote for not more than three.' You have to pay attention, because if you over-vote, nobody gets a vote on that particular contest."
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Mallory says the local chapter is launching a mobile civic engagement unit later this month.
He says the bus is designed to teach people the ins and outs of voting, from registration to casting a ballot. "We are a non-partisan organization, but the education and the act of advocacy is something that is for anybody," he says. "The areas that we are targeting are the people that aren't really participating, the areas that have that voter apathy."
Mallory says the mobile unit is equipped with computers and Wi-Fi and the staff will show people how to register to vote online, how to interpret ballot language, and how to vote absentee.
"We want to try to inform people that all elections matter. The ones that are local impact them directly. We're talking about street improvements, police and fire, and school levies, these are things that impact you directly."
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The mobile unit will be unveiled Feb. 12 at the Holloman Center for Social Justice at the Avondale Town Center.
