#TalkRadio – September 3: I’ll Rise and Vote: Ensuring Timely Voter Registration for Young People, Homeless People, and Everyone

SPEAKERS:

Donald Whitehead: 12:00 PM – 12:40 PM ET
Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless; Personal Twitter: @DWhitehead2020; Organization Twitter: @NationalHomeles

Rommel Sandino: 12:00 PM – 12:40 PM ET
National Organizing Director for the League of Women Voters of the United States; Former Senior Organizer of Immigration at Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) at Community Change

Eldric Coleman: 12:00 PM – 12:40 PM Eastern Time
Transformative Justice Coalition-certified Voting Rights Advocate & Fellow; Eldric Coleman is a dedicated advocate for social justice and community empowerment, currently serving as the President of the NAACP Alabama Youth and College Division and an Associate Justice of the Student Government Association (SGA). A two-time State of Alabama NAACP Youth & College Division President, Eldric has been recognized with the NAACP Trailblazer Award for his impactful work in advancing civil rights. Recently, Eldric registered over 1,000 voters for the upcoming November elections, demonstrating his commitment to civic engagement and political empowerment. His advocacy efforts are further supported by his roles as a Democracy Fellow, TJC Coalition Fellow, and his involvement in environmental and healthcare initiatives. Eldric’s leadership continues to inspire and mobilize others to drive positive change. He is also working on TJC’s national “lI’ll Rise and Vote” Voter Activation and GOTV Concert Series

Dr. Karen McRae: 12:40 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time
President & CEO, Concerned Black Men of America

Atty. Terry O’Neill: 12:40 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:

Hi Igniters For Change! The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled “I’ll Rise and Vote: Ensuring Timely Voter Registration for Young People, Homeless People, and Everyone”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and will feature special guests and voter registration experts Donald Whitehead, Rommel Sandino, Eldric Coleman, Dr. Karen McRae, and Atty. Terry O’Neill. Rommel Sandino will discuss National Voter Registration Day. Donald Whitehead will break down how to reach homeless people about their voting rights and will make it clear that homeless people have the right to register and vote, despite not having a permanent address. Eldric Coleman will discuss campus voter registration, as in August he registered over 1,100 people to vote on his college campus.

September 17th, 2024 will be National Voter Registration Day. 15 states have registration deadlines of October 4th – October 7th. TJC and its partner organizations are urging everyone to register as soon as possible but no later than October first, “Fannie Lou Hamer Voter Registration Week”. In addition, with active voter purging and other shenanigans by the states, we will discuss why it is urgent that voters check their voter registration by the same deadline. Throughout the next series of shows, Igniting Change will focus on ways to educate, register, and mobilize voters for the November Elections. Not only will we discuss in vote the “I’ll Rise And Vote” national programming, we will also share tips for civic engagement organizers. 

During the last twenty minutes of the show, Atty. Terry O’Neill and Dr. Karen McRae will be this week’s Igniting Change guest giving the media their scorecard on the new weekly segment called “Election 2024 and Race Media Report Card”. Over the years, Igniting Change has pointed out the many failures and misadventures of the U.S. media’s coverage of racial issues. This journalistic incompetence reaches a new high during political contests, especially during presidential elections. From misguided headlines which thoughtlessly give credence to racial attacks, to the lack of fact checking, and the treatment of racial slurs, tropes, and stereotypes as fair commentary, this period has reeked of abysmal journalism. We will discuss some of these matters and what is necessary to be done to make the overall media more competent. 

Also, many voters are receiving a barrage of misinformation and disinformation, sometimes from major celebrity personalities. This show will discuss how to discern facts from lies. 

QUESTIONS:

Welcome everyone to the show, Donald Whitehead, Rommel Sandino, and Eldric Coleman.

• Rommel, as National Organizing Director for the League of Women Voters of the United States, what do you want our audience to know about the upcoming National Voter Registration Day on September 17th?
• Donald, one of the biggest groups that are unregistered are people who are experiencing homelessness. How do we counter the confusion around voter registration for those without a permanent address?
• Eldric, please tell our national audience how you  just registered 1,000 people to vote. 
• You are all working on TJC’s national “I’ll Rise and Vote” Voter Activation and GOTV Concert Series, which we will discuss more in upcoming shows. Why do you believe that this Series is so important?
• Rommel, where do people get information on National Voter Registration Day?
• Donald, tell us about what people need to know to register to vote if they are homeless and how can people assist their friends, family members, and others who are unhoused to register to vote?
• Eldric, Vote.org reported a 700% increase in voter registration within two days of Vice President Kamala Harris being endorsed by President Biden. 83% of these new registrants were below the age of 35. The majority of new registrants have been aged 18. More recent data reveals that the majority of registrants are women and that Black women are driving the new voter registration trends. However, in the last election cycles, young voter turnout is significantly lower than their registration numbers and than any other cohort. What can be done about this? What do you think is the most important grassroots organizing that you think needs to happen in order to ensure that we’re following up with voters?
• Rommel, some people are receiving letters that they are on the “inactive” list. What is voter purging? Why should people be checking their voter registration? How do people check their voter registration?
• Donald, the National Coalition for the Homeless has created a “You Don’t Need A Home To Vote” manual and state guides for every state, since the laws are different for voting in each state. How do people access this information?
• What are your one-minute final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?

12:40 PM – 12:57 PM Eastern Time- Karen McRae, and Atty. Terry O’Neill
SEGMENT TITLE: “Election 2024 and Race Media Report Card”

• For the past week, what grade would you give from A – F of the media’s coverage of the racial aspects of the 2024 election? 
• Why did you give this grade?
• There has been a disturbing trend of negative lies being distributed by known celebrities, influencers, and others on social media and generally in conversations. How do we combat this? 
• How do people discern when something is a straight up lie?
• How do people find trusted messengers?
• How can our listeners get involved in holding the media accountable?
• (Barbara will remind listeners to double check their voter registration as voter purging ended recently.)
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?