Registering to vote for the first time

by Andrea Townsend—Oregon

Last night I was having a hard time getting folks to take my clipboard. It was getting late, but one elderly man invited me into his home and offered me a seat at his kitchen table. He was in his sixties and explained to me that he’d just gotten out of the hospital after recovering from pneumonia, was on disability and can barely afford to pay for his prescriptions. “Thank you for doing this work,” he said as he slowly printed his name on the member sheet. I asked if he was registered to vote. He looked at me sadly and said “Hon, when I was about eighteen years old I went joyriding with some friends and ended up with a felony. So I can’t vote.”

“Sure you can!” I said and handed him a registration card. “In Oregon once you’ve served your time, you can register.”

I wish someone had told him 40+ years ago that he has the right to vote. But I am glad that I met him. The experience illustrated to me why we need to be out on the streets, letting folks know that they have the right to participate and to use their political power to make a difference in the world.

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