Ridgefield Resident On Mission to Feed the Voters!

Voter suppression has been a part of America since 1776. Even after most of the legal barriers were struck down, numerous states went to great lengths to make sure our fellow citizens of color were denied a vote.

Poll taxes, literacy tests, unanswerable questions (jelly beans in a jar), and violence, were just a few of the state-sanctioned actions employed. Those tactics have been largely eradicated. Now, voter ID requirements, closed polling stations, and impossibly long waits are used to suppress the political voice of the poor and people of color.

It is going to take a long time and lots for work and creativity to make voting as universal as a death and taxes.

However, this election is just fifteen days away. So, what can we do to confront voter suppression at this late date? We can make at least one of those interminable lines a place people actually want to be.

We have organized to feed every voter in line at the Cross Creek 13th precinct in the North Carolina’s 8th congressional district (Fayetteville) with a free, really great, freshly prepared meal. We will do this on the busiest voting day there, Saturday, October 31st – early voting is how people of color and the poor in North Carolina can manage a full day of standing in line. This will bring more people into the political process.

We expect to serve about 1200 voters that day. We’ll be serving our Gorée fried chicken and fries with coffee/tea/water. We’re taking our tent kitchen so we can cook on site. If you’ve been to one of our block parties over the years, that’s what we’re serving.

We need help. If you’d like to help in any way, text me at (203) 917-8306 or email at joe@votersmatter.org

Feed the Voters, Feed the Vote

Joe Lane, Ridgefield