-Stephanie Stephens, Water Quality Specialist
On Tuesday, October 8th, Yadkin Riverkeeper held its first ever parking lot block party behind our main office on West 4th Street, in Winston-Salem, NC. The event was a Rock the Vote, Last Chance to Register 80’s Party, with music by Craig Vaughn. Putting on this event meant spreading the word, in a non-partisan fashion, around Winston-Salem by posting on group pages, flyering and connecting with local organizations and individuals in the community. Along with the tasty pizza from our local Burke Street Pizza and the amazing vocals by Craig Vaughn, there were exhibitors who came to talk about the work they do environmentally or to educate and register voters. Yadkin Riverkeeper would like to thank Citizens Climate Lobby, Solarize the Triad, Friends of Sauratown Mountain, League of Women’s Voters and Cornelia Barr for attending this event and participating in Get Out the Vote (GOTV) issue advocacy and voter registration activities. A special thank you to candidates for local offices and the NC General Assembly who attended, including former YRK board member Lei Zhang (Candidate for Forsyth County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor).
GOTV work is a new realm for us at Yadkin Riverkeeper, as this year was the first time our organization has devised a strategy to encourage and educate voters in a major election cycle. In addition to hosting a registration event, Yadkin Riverkeeper also created a Voter Empowerment Registration Tool and crafted specialized posts for social media regarding voting requirements, early voting information and voting to support our water quality. As we wrap up GOTV, we are proud to say that we registered a total of 16 voters and more than 90 people accessed our online registration tool. As Election Day approaches on November 5, there is still time to early vote in North Carolina! Early voting started on October 17th and will continue until November 2nd. The last day for in-person same day voter registration is also November 2nd. Getting out to vote early will help you avoid big lines on election day! To find when and where to vote early, go to NC State Board of Elections Early Voting, as times and locations may vary. If you or your loved ones were impacted by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina and have lost your ID you can fill out a Photo ID Exception Form at your voting site or return the form with your absentee ballot. You can also get a free ID from your county board of elections office or from an NC DMV office. For more information on voting after Hurricane Helene, visit the NC Board of Elections/Hurricane Helene.
Exercising your right to vote is more than a civic duty, it is in support of the democracy we all deserve. Like every drop of water counts, every vote counts in determining who will represent you at all levels of government. Please consider voting for candidates who support clean water and solutions to improve water quality.
