By Miriam Archibong

The 2008 presidential election was indeed historic. For our part, the Spelman SGA made sure that students, faculty and administrators had an opportunity to become relevant participants in making history. In the weeks before the national election day, your SSGA sponsored several voter registration efforts: new student orientation session, Market Fridays, canvassing around the community – including Westend Mall, and participating in voter protection training sessions. Preparation for activities on November 4 started with a march from the Manley Student Center, and continued through the main gates of Morehouse College, and through the CAU campus to the CAU polling location. The remainder of the day was spent with student volunteers going to various precincts in the Atlanta metro area talking with voters, encouraging them to exercise their franchise, and assisting elderly and disabled voters gain access to the polls. In addition, we distributed tasty and healthy snacks to voters who were waiting to enter their voting precinct.

Some of the voters were willing to share their unique and personal stories: At the Liberty Baptist Church polling site, we met DeMorrio, a young Black male and first-time voter, who was pacing up and down the parking area outside of the entrance to the polling site. I walked up to him and told him about the Spelman SGA’s interest in supporting and encouraging voters. He then told me about his criminal record, and that he had never voted. He clearly wanted to vote, but he did not want to be embarrassed in front of other voters. Using the information from the Voter Protection training I had received the week before, I assured DeMorrio that if he was no longer on probation, he absolutely had the right to vote. After our brief talk, he walked slowly into the church assembly hall, one hand clutching his falling pants, and the other securely holding his voter identification card. When he exited the building, he had a huge smile on his face.

“I voted,” he yelled. “Good for you,” I yelled back. I wanted to give him a full dissertation on the history of voter disenfranchisement, as a way to encourage him to continue exercising his right to vote. But, for that day, in that moment, his HUGE smile provided enough testimony for the benefits of voting. We later met Derek, a Black 28 year old who said that he had always been too busy to vote on election day, and Tana, a Caucasian women who said that she was spending election day transporting elderly and vulnerable people to the polls. The joy and excitement of this day was tempered by the reality that voter irregularities still happen. Such as when I watched helplessly as a mentally challenged Black man walked angrily out of his polling location. When I learned that he was a diabetic, I offered the man and his brother water and some of our snacks. They accepted and then told me that the poll worker refused to accept their voter identification. The older brother agreed to vote on a provisional ballot, but the younger brother said that he did not understand why his vote had to be different from everyone else’s. Sadly, this young man refused to vote. On some level, he was taking his dignity with him as he walked away from the building. But, his gait and posture let me know that he was sad, disappointed and hurt by the treatment he had just received.