‘Lots of Really Good Reasons to Vote’: How Community Leaders are Championing Voter Engagement

What would it mean to have a more engaged and educated electorate in Northeast Indiana? Several groups and stakeholders are asking this question and putting in the work to get people excited and energized to show up on Election Day. 

For context, Allen County, Indiana reported a 64 percent voter turnout for the 2020 general election, according to the Indiana Secretary of State office. That compares to about two-thirds or 66 percent for the national average, according to the Pew Research Center. Fort Wayne Urban League (Ft. Wayne, IN) President and CEO Aisha Arrington says these numbers are likely even more dismal for the population her organization serves.

National data affirms her hunch. In three elections from 2018 to 2022, 43 percent of eligible white voters cast their ballots every time, while that figure for Black voters was 27 percent, 21 percent for Asian American voters, and 19 percent for Hispanic voters, according to Pew.

That’s why the Fort Wayne Urban League is mobilizing marginalized groups to vote with their People to the Polls initiative. This program aims to address transportation barriers and educate residents about matters related to registration, voting rights and polling locations — while also providing transportation. Per Arrington, People to the Polls will offer rides to voting locations on November 2, using a red trolley and a handicap-accessible van. Partnering with the nonprofit homelessness organization Vincent Village will expand the program's reach by offering an additional pick-up and drop-off location.

On Election Day, November 5, Citilink, in collaboration with AARP, will also offer free fares for all riders, including paratransit services. Citilink will run its normal routes and provide riders with a guide on where voting locations will be along the routes.

In Arrington’s estimation, getting out the vote isn’t as simple as it might seem on the surface. 

“One thing that we take into consideration is that Fort Wayne Urban League is located in the poorest zip code in the county,” she says. “So people that live in this area have some of the [most significant] barriers and disparities they're trying to work through. And when you're working and living in a community that’s [facing] those kinds of challenges, sometimes voting ends up being one of those things last on someone's priority, especially when they're fighting to just put food on the table.” 

However, despite this grim picture, Arrington says there’s reason to be hopeful. She cited recent polling data from the civil rights organization NAACP that found that 78 percent of Black voters were equally or more excited and energized about voting than they were in 2008. If that’s the case, Arrington says that could translate into meaningful results at the polls. 

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