The League of Women Voters and Hispanics of Today and Tomorrow are increasing their efforts to increase voter registration in the local community with the general election quickly approaching.
Teressa Briggs of the League of Women Voters says the organization, like many others, has begun taking a more virtual approach to getting new voters registered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes participating in online candidate forums and sharing information from reputable sites on how local voters can confirm their registration and stay up to date on the latest issues.
Understandably, Briggs says this turn of events raised some concerns about ensuring voters are as informed as they possibly can be before heading to the polls in November. However, Briggs says now seven months into the pandemic, residents have thankfully become well adept at utilizing online resources.
She adds if someone may not have access to the internet, there are plenty of organizations available locally that can lend assistance.
Additionally, Briggs says the Lyon County Clerk’s Office is another fantastic resource residents can utilize to answer any and all questions they may have pertaining to the upcoming election.
HOTT Director Sally Sanchez says the cancellation of the majority of HOTT’s annual activities has significantly limited their opportunities for face-to-face engagement with the local Hispanic community. To make up for this, she says HOTT has launched a series of videos detailing the importance of getting to the polls and exercising your right to vote.
Sanchez says like the League, they too had concerns the pandemic could disrupt voter turnout come November, however, she says an additional concern has been the recent civil unrest throughout the country. She believes the current volatile state of race relations has directly led to a level of mistrust between the Hispanic community and the political process.
While there are those in the community Sanchez says are hesitant to go out and cast their ballot there is also a large portion who cannot wait to visit the polls in just over a month. She says those individuals have served as terrific advocates in promoting the importance of the political process to others throughout the community.
Election day is Nov. 3 with advanced voting beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14. For more information or questions regarding the upcoming election contact Teressa Briggs by emailing Teressa.Briggs@Outlook.com or HOTT by emailing HOTTFiesta1@Gmail.com or find them on Facebook.
You may also contact Lyon County Clerk Tammy Vopat by calling 620-341-3245.
