From the Outside Looking In: The Road to Black November Starts Now

By Urbanham.com

Election Day is November 3, but if you’re waiting until then to start thinking about voting, you may already be waiting too long.

That’s part of the message behind Road to Black November, a new 52-day effort launched by Faith & Works Statewide Civic Engagement Collective to increase Black voter participation throughout Jefferson County.

The initiative kicked off September 15 with community members, local influencers and residents coming together for food, fellowship and the beginning of what organizers describe as 52 days of “rebuilding the wall.”

That reference comes from the biblical story of Nehemiah, where a community worked together to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall in 52 days. Faith & Works is borrowing that idea, but this time the wall is civic participation—making sure people are registered, have reliable election information and understand how to participate in the process.

It’s an interesting way to look at voting because so much of our attention usually comes during the final few weeks of an election. That’s when the political commercials seem to be everywhere, candidates suddenly become much more visible and we’re constantly reminded to get out and vote.

But what about everything that needs to happen before then?

Faith & Works founder and executive director Cara McClure says that’s where the work begins.

“This is about what becomes possible when ordinary people decide to work together,” McClure said in announcing the campaign. “Every person has a role, and when we each do our part, we can rebuild participation, restore trust and strengthen the power of our communities.”

And there are significant resources being put behind the effort.

Faith & Works and ReVote Action Fund have announced a combined $200,000 investment connected to Road to Black November. Faith & Works says its $100,000 investment will go toward increasing Black voter participation in Jefferson County.

That money isn’t just going toward advertising telling people to vote.

The plan includes door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, volunteer training, voter-registration assistance, community events, digital outreach and even transportation support. Organizers say they’ll focus some of that effort on Jefferson County communities that haven’t always had a consistent civic-engagement presence.

And that may be one of the most important parts of this effort.

It’s easy to say, “Go vote.”

It’s another thing to make sure someone knows where to vote. Or that they’re still registered. Or that their address and other information are correct. Or that they know the registration deadline. Or that they have transportation to get to the polls.

Those aren’t exciting political talking points, but they matter.

Faith & Works is encouraging residents to check their voter status now instead of discovering a problem when they show up at the polls. The deadline to register or update voter-registration information for the November 3 election is October 19.

The organization has also created RoadToBlackNovember.com, where residents can check their registration status, register or update their information, find their polling place, review election information and deadlines, make a voting plan and sign up to volunteer.

But here’s what I’ll be interested in watching.

What happens after November 3?

If we’re really talking about rebuilding civic participation, then the success of something like Road to Black November can’t only be measured by what happens on Election Day.

Do the people who become involved stay involved?

Does the person who helps five family members check their voter status this year become the person who keeps the family informed about the next local election?

Do people who start paying attention during election season continue watching what elected officials do once they’re in office?

And do neighborhoods that receive more attention during this campaign continue building the relationships and networks that allow them to stay engaged when there isn’t an election around the corner?

Those questions are important because voting is only one part of civic participation.

Elections determine who makes decisions involving education, housing, transportation, public safety, economic opportunity, infrastructure and how public resources are spent. Those decisions don’t disappear when the polls close.

Road to Black November is asking residents to get involved in that process now. Volunteers will be trained to knock on doors, make calls, help people navigate voter information and reach out to people they already know. No previous organizing experience is required.

Faith & Works also makes it clear that Road to Black November is a nonpartisan voter-participation initiative. The organization says the campaign isn’t telling people whom to vote for and isn’t supporting or opposing candidates or political parties through the effort.

And maybe that’s the part of this conversation we shouldn’t lose.

You don’t have to tell somebody who to vote for to help them understand how to participate.

You don’t have to agree on every political issue to agree that people should know whether they’re registered, know where their polling place is and have access to reliable information before they make their own decisions.

For voter information, registration resources and information about volunteering with the initiative, visit RoadToBlackNovember.com.