“One way we can make change in this country is to vote,” Dr. Ruben Anthony, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison said.
Although COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the in-person Unity Picnic, which started in 2015 and is an annual gathering to strengthen community connection, Anthony and his team will use it as an opportunity to help register voters with a “Souls to the Polls” weekend-long event.
“People have a right to vote, an expectation to vote,” Anthony said. “Civil rights were a fight, and many people fought for and many people died for us to have the right to exercise a vote. The Urban League is a civil rights organization. We believe that it is our civic duty to vote. So as much as we can help individuals in a nonpartisan way to come out and register to vote that is what we want to do.”
The event will take place Saturday, August 29, at the Urban League’s Drive-Thru Unity Picnic 2020 and Sunday, August 30. It will include a drive-through barbeque and voting registration on Saturday; and a virtual voter education/movie day Sunday.
The drive-through barbeque, where the public can taste a meal made by BP Smokehouse and Kipp’s Catering, will take place Saturday, August 29, 1-4 p.m., at Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S. Park St. There will be special hours for village elders from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the same day. Guests will get two sides and a portion of barbeque.
In addition to the drive-through meal participants will have an opportunity to register to vote and learn about absentee voting; and the 2020 Census, which ends Sept. 30. Anthony said organizations such as the Urban League of Young Professional, the National Council of the Urban League Guild and the League of Women Voters of Dane County, are expected to be there to assist.
“We think that it’s important for people to register early and vote early, you know, as early as possible,” he said. “We want to be a resource to people during these times.”
During the Aug. 11 partisan primary, 109,888 out of the 125,532 ballots cast in Dane County were done absentee — roughly 87%.
In comparison in the November 2016 presidential election, roughly 40% of votes were cast absentee.
The Nov. 3, 2020 ballots will include a presidential election, elections for specific state Assembly and Senate districts, as well as an election for the House of Representatives.
On the second day of the “Souls to Polls” event starting at 3 p.m. a virtual voter education and movie night will take place.
It begins with an opening by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and then a showing of the movie “Selma.” At 4 p.m. the African American Church Council and Jewish Federation of Madison are expected to present on the “Importance of Voting” and then Rabbi Bonnie Margulis will discuss early and absentee voting. Speakers will be available for questions after the virtual presentations.
Anthony and his team hope to keep the non-partisan voting momentum going until the election.
“This is the first of many activities that the Urban League, the African American Council of Churches and the Jewish Federation and the League of Women Voters are going to do between now and Nov. 3rd,” he said.
