Amistad Chapel UCC is ensuring that youth and homeless voters are heard at the polls this November

Amistad Chapel UCC in Cleveland has partnered with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and Garden Valley Neighborhood House to engage with voters who sometimes get ignored in the elections – namely students, the homeless and formally incarcerated.

They’re working on voter registration and education within their community. We asked them why they decided to focus their efforts in that direction. Here’s what they said –

“Why are we doing it? Because it is our right, our privilege and our responsibility to become informed about the issues, the candidates and reflect upon the political order for the common good of all.”

Check out the update from their most recent voter registration effort –

Last week Amistad Chapel hosted a voter registration table at the Metro Campus of Cuyahoga Community College. This ended up being a great opportunity for students to connect with the various services available to them on campus and community.

Happily, we found that the majority of students are already registered voters. The team did register some visitors and handed out absentee ballots.

Next up? On September 27, National Voter Registration Day, Amistad Chapel volunteers will conduct voter registration at the Garden Valley Food Pantry and that evening, at the Homeless Shelter. They’re also working hard to setup a bi-partisan candidate forum, so that the folks served by the Garden Valley lunch program can hear the candidate platforms and proposals.

It’s so exciting to hear how UCC congregations are connecting with the needs of their community and working to ensure that voices who are often silenced in our democracy are heard at the polls this November!

Who might your community reach out to as we prepare to observe National voter Registration Day on September 27th?