This weekend, 70 activists from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Jobs with Justice and other allies came together in Louisville to learn skills and prepare to enact a Voter Empowerment plan to build power in Kentucky in a way that rebuilds our democracy one voter and one relationship at a time.

 Traditional election campaigns start with cold numbers and voter lists, and choose to focus on "good voters" who vote every year.  They're shortsighted, partisan, and don't usually aim to bring new people into the political process.

In contrast, our Voter Empowerment campaign is non-partisan and built on grassroots principles, is based on having real conversations and making relationships with voters - and including people who traditional politics have left behind - like young people, low-income communities, people of color, and former felons.  Election day is important to us, but we're in this for the long haul, registering, educating, and mobilizing voters up until election day, the week after, and every week after that until we collectively forge the democracy we know the people of Kentucky deserve. 

I think KFTC’s methodology of linking people feels organic. There’s less baggage - and it works. - Greg Capillo, Bowling Green

Participants in the weekend learned skills including the basics of voter registration, community tabling, canvassing neighborhoods, tools for effective conversations, how to build power in

disenfranchised communities, how to accomplish voter empowerment in rural communities, and more.

I think it’s extremely exciting. I consider myself to be an informed person and didn’t know important details like the registration deadline. I haven’t seen anything like this before and it’s great. - Katie Meyer, Lexington

When you talk to people, they tell you they want to make a change in their world - and they really do.  They just need the tools to do and we can give them that! - Janet Tucker

A major focus of KFTC's training was on the role of Community Captains, a decentralized leadership role in KFTC held by a member dedicated to contacting 10-30 voters 3 times each leading up to Election Day - to make sure they're registered, educated, mobilized to go vote.  We're intentionally trying to build a deeper connection with voters that's genuine and that spans elections and other issue work, including lobbying in the General Assembly.  Please consider becoming a Community Captain in your own community to help us hit our goal of activating 100 Community Captains by the end of the month!

Along with more traditional KFTC strategies like community tablings, door-to-door canvassing, phone banks, and special events, KFTC members aim to reach 15,000 voters three times each before Election Day.  It's a big goal, but excited members at the weekend training all seemed sure they'd be able to make it happen. 

I feel like this weekend was a real pleasure for me. It was great to be with like-minded people and to be in such a diverse group. Voter empowerment has always been really important to me, and I’ve always felt motivated. After this weekend, I feel equipped and *really* motivated to hit the ground running and talk to members of my community to make sure they vote.  - George Eklund, Bowling Green.

       

For members who missed the weekend, there will be local trainings all over the state throughout the month of August and a few in early September.  For more information, please contact your local KFTC Organizer.

KFTC member Beth Bissmeyer contributed all of the pictures and quotes for this story. 

   We're one-night into our statewide Voter Empowerment Training in Louisville along with our allies at Jobs with Justice.  It's been an energetic night with lots of powerful stories and people from all across the state coming together to organize and to create real people-driven Democracy in our Commonwealth, organizing county-by-county, community-by-community, and neighbor to neighbor.

   We'll have a full report-back with pictures soon, but here are some quotes from the first night.

One of the greatest things about this is all of the grassroots groups coming together.  It's unprecedented in ways and it's happening all across the country.  I look forward to what we'll be able to accomplish together.  - Russell Oliver

How many people in this room really know their neighbor?...  And how many of you know whether or not your neighbor voted last year?  At the end of this election cycle,  we need to know - we need to ask them and really engage our communities. - Darnell Johnson

It's time to invest back in your community and make a change.  We can do it if we work together! - Tayna Fogle

When you talk to people, they tell you they want to make a change in their world - and they really do.  They just need the tools to do and we can give them that! - Janet Tucker

Our online registration form for our big Statewide Voter Empowerment training with Jobs with Justice is now up and running.

You can also learn more and see the agenda on our online calendar event listing.

House Bill 70, the Restoration of Voting Rights for Former Felons bill, is gaining some momentum in Frankfort with lots of help from KFTC members.

      Central KY members Jenn Myatt, Tayna Fogle, and Jonathan Hampton lobbying for HB 70 in Frankfort.

Lobbying so far has focused on bringing co-sponsors last year back onto the bill, and is starting to focus on lining up House Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee votes in preparation of a hearing on February 5^th at 8 a.m.

Knowing that Rep. Jim Glenn became a co-sponsor for HB 70 after my group talked to him gives me a sense of accomplishment for participating in the legislative process.  It would be great if many other people came to the lobby day on the 28th to experience this as well.  As a volunteer lobbyist, I’ve learned that you can make a real difference. --Jenn Myatt, Central Kentucky member

Members are also continuing to keep up the ground work to raise public awareness of the issue in communities across the state, by getting hundreds of postcards to legislators signed, passing out hundreds of handbills about the issue in the recent Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March in Lexington earlier this week, and planning future public education events (please schedule one in your area along with your local organizer!)

There are lots of upcoming events, but the largest is the big focus lobby day on February 28^th.  KFTC will head up the citizen lobbying effort that day, along with many ally organizations.  Coalition partner People Advocating Recovery (PAR) is in the process of mobilizing former felons and other people in recovery by the hundreds to also come out that day, to rally and speak out on Restoration. 

“We want to empty the recovery houses all over the state and bring hundreds of former felons and supporters out on Feb 28^th," says Tayna Fogle – a former felons spokesperson who has put a lot of effort into bringing the day together. 

In other exciting news, Representative Jody Richards, Speaker of the House, recently joined many other legislators in co-sponsoring this bill – a strong sign that House Leadership supports this bill.  KFTC Members hop that we can pass the bill through the House quickly so we can spend as much time as possible putting pressure on the Senate, where the bill faltered last year. 

Upcoming Restoration Events

HB 70 Hearing – Tuesday, February 5^th at 8 a.m. in Frankfort in the House Elections and Constitutional Amendments committee on the 1^st floor of the Capitol Annex.

Restoration of Voting Rights Spokesperson Training – Saturday, February 9^th at 2 p.m. at Hunter Presbyterian Church in Lexington.  We’ll bring together former felons from across the state to share our stories about not being able to vote, talk about how these personal stories are powerful, and get comfortable telling them to people in our communities, legislators, and the media. 

UK Restoration Event – Tuesday, February 19^th at 7pm at the Catholic Newman Center.  A mix of videos and speakers including Rep Jesse Crenshaw, former felon spokespeople, and more, this event will raise awareness of Restoration of Voting Rights for Former Felons. 

Restoration of Voting Rights Focus Lobby Day - Thursday, February 28^th.  Based out of room 111 in the Capitol Annex in Frankfort.  This is a massive lobby day in Frankfort for our legislation to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

Call your Legislator!

Leave a message for your state representative on the Legislative Message Line (800-372-7181) asking them to co-sponsor the bill.  Message: "I urge you to support a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.  Please sign on as a co-sponsor to HB 70"

As part of a coordinated, intensive effort to build skills, connections, and  structure for our Voter Empowerment campaign,  160  activists from ten states gatheres in Louisville this weekend for the first annual PUSHBACK Conference.  KFTC was well-represented by 15 members. 

The PUSHBACK Network is a national collaboration of indigenous, grassroots organizations (like Kentuckians For The Commonwealth) and networks committed to building bottom-up, state-based alliances that change both the composition and levels of participation of the electorate.We emphasize strategies to empower underrepresented constituencies: people of color, poor, and working class communities and young people.

Currently, PUSHBACK is made up of groups from Kentucky, Alabama, California, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New York.  KFTC's partner organization in Kentucky is Kentucky Jobs with Justice.

Participants in this weekend's activities planned future voter empowerment efforts and learned a lot from eachother while forging lasting connections and having a lot of fun doing it. KFTC will continue to develop its own Voter Empowerment strategies in communities across the state in the coming months and will lead a major effort to register, educate, and mobilize voters leading up to the 2007 Elections on November 6th.