Nov 29, 2024 Story by: Editor
When I received an email inviting me to volunteer as a poll monitor, I felt uncertain. I had just started at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I gathered the courage to step into unfamiliar territory because I grew up understanding the vital role of voting, a value instilled in me long before I could even see over the ballot box.
As a child, I vividly remember accompanying my parents to vote. It was treated as a momentous occasion—so much so that we dressed up for it. In the booth, hidden behind the privacy curtain, I had to stand on a stool just to see the ballot. I proudly wore my “I Voted” sticker to school, though I was too young to grasp the importance of the candidates or their policies. What I did know, however, was that voting mattered, and it was something I was expected to do whenever I had the chance.
Monitoring polling sites involves a straightforward routine: driving to assigned locations, documenting observations, and identifying issues like improper electioneering, voter intimidation, accessibility challenges, or long lines. Through LDF’s Black Voters on the Rise program, our team of 119 volunteers in Alabama covered 23 counties during the election. They submitted 758 reports—the highest number since the program’s inception—highlighting efforts to protect Black voters’ rights across Congressional Districts 2 and 7 and in Madison County.
At polling sites, I encountered older Black women wearing Black Voters Matter shirts who eagerly extended sample ballots to me. When I explained, “Oh, I’m not voting,” they initially looked disappointed but quickly warmed up upon learning my role in ensuring accessible polling locations. Their recollections of fighting for voting rights and confronting suppressed Black power underscored why poll monitoring is essential—to bolster Black political representation.
This commitment to Black political empowerment bore fruit in Alabama with the election of Shomari Figures, who will join Representative Terri Sewell in Congress. Figures, representing the newly established Congressional District 2—a Black opportunity district created through LDF’s successful Supreme Court advocacy—is only the fourth Black person in history to represent Alabama in Congress. This is Black political power in action.
Meanwhile, my younger sister Starr also volunteered as a poll monitor in Maryland, where voters made history by electing Angela Alsobrooks as the first Black woman to represent the state in the U.S. Senate. Reflecting on her experience, Starr said, “Thanks to an opportunity from Common Cause and the Transformative Justice Coalition, I volunteered during a midday shift at an elementary school. I was there to help ensure everyone could exercise their right to vote, and it truly felt like I was fulfilling my civic duty.”
Poll monitoring has become a family tradition for us. My father, Clarence, first volunteered during the 2008 General Election in Halifax County, Virginia. He recalls the excitement and long lines, saying, “It was important to give voters some level of confidence that they could follow through on their plan to vote without being deterred by intimidation or threats.”
My mother, Tonja, has been a poll monitor for 28 years, initially getting involved through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Reflecting on her role, she shared, “People seemed more comfortable voting when they saw me outside because they recognized me as a classmate. Being a familiar face also helped establish trust with election officials, allowing us to work together to assist voters.”
While my family’s polling sites were relatively calm, my experience in Alabama highlighted recurring accessibility issues. Many locations had unpaved parking lots and insufficient or unmarked accessible parking spaces. In the coming weeks, LDF will analyze our reports to advocate for improvements with state election officials.
Poll monitoring is a powerful way to engage civically and support democracy. As my dad aptly puts it, it’s “one of many activities that create the great feeling of knowing you’ve helped someone with an important aspect of their life—voting being the most crucial.”
Inspired by my family’s legacy, I plan to continue serving as a poll monitor in the future, as the need to educate, inform, and assist voters remains critical. Will you join us in this essential work? Source: MSN
