#TalkRadio – November 7: Rolling Out The Vote for the November 7th Elections in Kentucky and Ohio! Part 3

SPEAKERS:

Priscilla Johnson: 12:00 PM – 12:13 PM Eastern Time
Public Relations Person at the Kentucky Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials

Taylor Martin: 12:00 PM – 12:13 PM ET
2023 TJC Fellow; Voter Empowerment Contractor for Kentuckians for the Commonwealth; In University of Louisville Graduate School, Political Science, May 2025, in addition to Pan-African Studies minor, also minoring in Social Change and took many influential courses, including  Honors Seminar in Activism and Advocacy; conducted voter canvassing and outreach for Charles Booker in 2020 and 2022; participated in the Black Lives Matter advocacy in Louisville, Kentucky, following the murder of Breonna Taylor; Volunteered and interned with non-profit organizations supporting immigrants and refugees; From Fall 2019 to Fall 2022, mentored three Congolese children through Kentucky Refugee’s Ministries’ New Beginnings Program; directed weekly after-school meetings focused on literacy attainment, homework help, and guidance on social adjustment; Spring 2020, interned at the Louisville Free Public Library, aiding in weekly programs, such as English Conversation Club, weekday tutoring, and community affairs. Spring 2021, interned at Kentucky Refugee Ministries with the Youth Educational Programs; Spring 2022, interned at Kentucky Refugee Miniseries in the legal department; LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taylor-martin-4a8233230

Quincy Robinson: 12:00 PM – 12:13 PM Eastern Time
2023 TJC Alumni and Fellow; Senior sociology major student at the University of Louisville

Atty. Lynn Whitfield: 12:15 PM – 12:28 PM ET
National Bar Association-Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Director of Election Protection and Director of the Good Trouble Voting Rights Institute

Cameron Barnes: 12:15 PM – 12:28 PM ET
National Young Adult Policy Advocate; National Youth Director of Rainbow PUSH; TJC Fellow and Freedom Rider; Director of Youth & Young Adult Engagement, New Faith MB Church Chicago; Instagram: @CamB.8; TikTok: @CamB.403; Twitter: @ISayWatUThinkin 

Vice-Chairman City Commissioner Omar Sabir: 12:30 PM – 12:43 PM ET
Vice-Chairman City Commissioner of the County of Philadelphia;Founder of “Vote Philly Vote”; and, Former senior staffer in the Office of Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes

Devan Vilfrard: 12:30 PM – 12:57 PM ET
TJC Fellow and Freedom Rider; CEO and Co-Founder of the Cash In Grad Out Foundation, Inc.; IG: Devanmvilfrard; Twitter: Thoughtsfromdev

Terry O’Neill, Esq.: 12:45 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Current Board Secretary of the Transformative Justice Coalition; former President of the National Organization for Women (NOW); Former Host of the podcast What Equality Looks Like; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-o-neill-3076303/ 

INTRODUCTION:

TJC is with its John Lewis bus on the road to GOTV with our partners in Kentucky and Ohio! TJC has been on the road since November 2nd, and will end its weeklong voter engagement today, on election day! This week’s Igniting Change will wrap up the previous two weeks’ focus on the specific issues and challenges confronting voters in Kentucky and Ohio. TJC and its partners, various branches of the NAACP in Kentucky, the Divine Nine, and student leaders at Kentucky State University, the University of Louisville, and Central State University in Ohio, have all been working vigorously to turn out the vote during the very limited time of early voting in Kentucky, Nov. 2nd – 4th, and on Souls to the Polls Sunday in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday, November 5th, and for the General Election in both states on November 7th. TJC has received enthusiastic reactions and has drawn large crowds everywhere it has gone at the above locations and including Shelbyville, Frankfurt, and Lexington. See below for some of the media coverage of TJC’s “Rolling Out The Vote! Kentucky and Ohio” voter engagement events:

Nov. 2nd, Wave, NCAAP Louisville Encourages Voters to Turn Out This Election”
Nov. 3rd, “Transformative Justice Coalition stops in Kentucky to encourage people to vote”
Nov. 4th, WKYT, “Organization Visits Lexington to Encourage Voting”
Nov. 4th, ABC 36, “Rolling Out the Vote Campaign Encourages Kentuckians to Head to the Polls”

Today’s Igniting Change guests are all on-the-ground in various parts of Kentucky, Ohio, and in Philadelphia. Priscilla Johnson will be driving people to the polls beginning when they open at 6:00 AM. Attorneys Lynn Whitfield and Terry O will be giving live reports from the Louisville-Fayette branch of the NAACP and TJC Election Protection Command Center. Cameron Barnes, a TJC Freedom Rider, will be on-the-ground doing voter outreach in Kentucky and will speak about his organizing of the November 6th TJC GOTV, Voter Education, and Givewaway Event at his Alma Mater Central State University. Like at other stops with the John Lewis Bus, in addition to free food, a DJ, and basketball at the Hoop Bus, during the giveaway, people on campus were educated about their voting rights, and were given free banned books, John Lewis shirts and buttons, and information about TJC and Barbara Arnwine’s list of 72 Forms of Voter Suppression, and were informed how they could attend the next Gen Z and Millennial Votes Matter Training. People were also registered to vote at Central State University. Quincy Robinson and Taylor Martin, who have traveled with the John Lewis bus to several stops throughout Kentucky, will be reporting live from the University of Louisville, where they both attend and have organized an Election Day TJC GOTV, Voter Education, and Givewaway Event where their University and Black Lives Matter will be taking students to the polls and having a march to encourage people to vote, in addition to TJC’s giveaways and voter engagement. Devan Vilfrard, another TJC Freedom Rider, will be on-the-ground and will discuss why he came all the way from Florida to be part of this week of Rolling Protests, what he’s learned from this trip, and how this experience has been. 

At 12:30 PM, the Commissioner of Elections for Philadelphia, Commissioner Omar Sabir will join Igniting Change to provide breaking news of a major public announcement. From his press release on November 3rd: 

“On Monday, November 6, 2023, at 11:00 am at City Hall, 1400 JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, Pa 19107…Vice-Chairman City Commissioner Omar Sabir, and the Octavious Catto taskforce [hosted] a press event to announce the landmark of voting rights changes in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Commissioner Sabir [was] joined by community leaders, elected officials and the Octavius V. Catto taskforce partners such as NAACP, League of Women Voters, Committee of Seventy, Black Voters Matter, Issue One etc.

The O.V. Catto taskforce ensures:

• Increased voter turnout in disadvantaged communities
• Ensure vote by mail accessibility across the city of Philadelphia
• Minimize voter confusion and disinformation

Over 300,000 citizens have criminal records in Philadelphia County. Commissioner Omar Sabir, in partnership with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the Administrative Judge of the First Judicial District, have collaborated to make Philadelphia the first county in the state of Pennsylvania to include voting rights in guilty plea colloquies.

‘This is an important and significant step toward ensuring that every eligible voter in Philadelphia County has the proper knowledge about their voting rights.’ said Commissioner Sabir.

As result of this historic change, defendants will be advised, in writing, of their voting rights when completing a guilty-plea colloquy in the First Judicial District (Philadelphia County). This new measure is designed to increase voter engagement and close information gaps that historically have led to voter disenfranchisement and apathy amongst voters. In the State of Pennsylvania, individuals with a felony conviction are eligible to vote.”

TJC is very pleased to see this announcement in Philadelphia as Board Chair Daryl D. Jones, Esq. has advocated for a process like this to be adopted by states and local jurisdictions. TJC is appreciative of this ground breaking policy and is hopeful that this will become a model policy that can be adopted by all states and jurisdictions.

In addition, Igniting Change will speak about the other major state elections taking place in New Jersey, Virginia, and Mississippi on November 7th and Louisiana on November 18th. 

QUESTIONS:

SEGMENT ONE

• Priscilla, as the Public Relations Person at the Kentucky Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and someone who has been taking people to the polls this morning, please tell us how voting has been going in Lexington today.
• Priscilla, any reports on the early voting?
• We are so happy to be on the campus of the University of Louisville. Quincy and Taylor, please tell us about the GOTV activities that you have helped organize for today.
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

SEGMENT TWO

• Lynn, tell us about how the Louisville-Fayette NAACP and TJC Election Protection Command Center is going.
• What number do people call if they need assistance?
• What states is the command center covering and what issues have come up?
• How are voters feeling?
• Cameron, we have been in Ohio on Sunday for Souls to the Polls in Cincinnati and Monday at Central State University. Tell us why organizing an event at Central State University was so important to you and to the students.
• Cameron, you also helped us in Cincinnati where we were so proud to be joined by the AKA’s, who led the entire votercade and Celebration Village with the leadership of Pastor Jermaine Covington of Quinn Chapel AME and Pastor Dwayne Flood of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. Why was it so important to have the churches involved?
• What did it mean to have the Divine 9 – who have been at a lot of our stops- joining us?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

SEGMENT THREE

• Commissioner, yesterday you made an important ground-breaking announcement. Please tell our listeners what is about to happen for the first time in our nation in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania?
• How is this a game-changer for those who have felony convictions?
• Devan, you heard this great news out of Philadelphia. In Florida, this issue of felon disenfranchisement has been of major concern. What is your reaction to this announcement and what do you hope will happen in Florida?
• Commissioner, What are your final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

SEGMENT FOUR

• Terry, give us an update from the Louisville-Fayette NAACP and TJC Election Protection Command Center.
• Terry, as a member of the TJC Board, why did you travel to be in Kentucky to ride the John Lewis bus this last week?
• Devan, as an alumni of TJC, why did you travel from Florida to be apart of these events?
• What have been the highlights of your experiences?
• What are your final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?