Blue Ridge Mountain CollegeVoting Polls Closure in the Elections Presentation

ASSIGNMENT GUIDE (PowerPoint Presentation – may include pictures and bullet points)

Step 1: a. Hear from Advocates engaged in advocacy work around voter suppression

b. Watch excerpts from the film, Suppressed 2020: The Right to Vote

c.Engage in facilitated discussion about rights, voter suppression, strategies for change

d.Pay attention to the provided example of what tele-advocacy can look like

e.Prepare for completing your assignment

-Cannot be overtly partisan- should be framed as action based not candidate based

– May use videos, references and resources detailing the steps in developing a strategic plan for tele-advocacy and writing letters to legislators and to the editors of news media.

Step 2: Create a vision, research and define your action plan.

• Choose a human rights & justice issue (social problem) related to voter suppression to address

B.Develop your “vision” (See Example below)

a. Visioning should follow the format of:

i. “My vision is a world where…”

b. A vision should be framed as a snapshot of a moment where the problem does not exist. (See Example below)

• Identify a potential “goal”, “strategy”, and possible “actionable steps”

Example:

Social Problem: Lack of access to transportation for voting

Vision: “My vision is a world where everyone has the opportunity and access to vote. “

Goal: Provide accessible transportation to polling places

Strategy: Get Legislators to offering a tax break to transportation companies to provide flexible and low-cost round-trip transportation to polling places

Possible Actionable Steps:

1.Writing letters to the editor

2.Developing a script for phone calls to legislators

3.Utilize social media to mobilize collective campaign to contact legislators urging them to pass the legislation

Step 3: Translate your Action Plan into your responses to the Action Plan

FOR YOUR REFERENCE, these are the questions that you will respond to in order to document of your process and plan. Fill in short answers. Maximum of five sentences for each question.

`•What is the violation of social justice/ human rights (social problem) in relation to voting that will be the focus of your advocacy?

•What is your vision?

•Who is doing work in this area?

•What is the organization working on this issue that is aligned with your goal/vision?

•What is your goal?

•What is the action you are taking?

Step 4: Undertake the advocacy action of your choice (social media, letter to editor or legislators or ….other creative action)

Resources for Training on Advocacy: (May use additional resources)

•Indivisible. (2020) How to Write Letters to the Editor that Really Get Attention. https:/ indivisible.org/resource/write-letters-editor-really-get-attention

•Pursuit of History. (2017). How to write your Congressperson. https:///youtu.be/BjELzsqu0AE