The Reno-Sparks NAACP is mobilizing volunteers for its “Get Out The Vote” effort, which is slated to continue right up to the Nov. 3 general election. The campaign’s goal is to increase voter turnout by encouraging infrequent voters to cast their ballots.
“Our voices must be heard,” said Lonnie Feemster, president of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, in an email. “We want everyone in our community to participate and we need your help in leading people to do so. We encourage and applaud the participation of everyone who supports the goal of responsive representative democracy.”
Voter turnout has been widely discussed during this election cycle, as many voters have expressed concerns about voting in person during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mail-in voting was approved for November’s general election with passage of Assembly Bill 4 during the Nevada Legislature’s 32nd Special Session and signed into law by Gov. Steve Sisolak Aug. 3. The bill allows Nevada voters the option to vote by mail as a way to keep social distancing during the pandemic. However, some critics of mail-in voting, including President Trump, have suggested that such a system is rife with voter fraud and have discouraged voters from using mail-in ballots.
Nevada’s Secretary of State has released a voting fact sheet ahead of the election to dispel some of the myths circulating about election security and mail-in ballots.
Voter turnout for June’s primary, also conducted during the pandemic and with an option for mail-in ballots, was at just 32.87% of Washoe County’s registered voters. The 2016 presidential election saw a 78.98% turnout in Washoe County.
The NAACP’s Volunteer Civic Engagement Program intends to target Black voters specifically, whose turnout declined for the first time in 20 years during the last presidential election in 2016, according to a Pew Research Center report.
Volunteers in the NAACP’s program are asked to connect with at least one voter per day—about 20 or more by election day—by phone or by text, to ensure safety during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization is also offering training and talking points should volunteers need extra support.
More information is online at BlackVoicesChangeLives.org.
