Making Our Voices Heard (with Maria Teresa Kumar)

Baratunde speaks with Maria Teresa Kumar, President of Voto Latino, about the power in numbers of Latinx voters and the work of relationship-building for this moment. Maria shares stories of what effective government looks like and its impact on the lives of the Latinx community. 

Show Notes + Links

We are grateful to Maria Teresa Kumar for joining us. 

Follow @mariateresa1 and @votolatino on Twitter. You can learn more about Voto Latino at https://votolatino.org/.

We will post this episode, a transcript, show notes and more at howtocitizen.com.

Please show your support for the show in the form of a review and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords!

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW. ACTIONS FOR THIS EPISODE. 

INTERNAL ACTIONS (Actions that help you reflect and explore your emotions and experiences related to these topics or are personal actions that don’t involve others)

Prepare yourself emotionally. This year, we have an election season, not an election day. And we may not know the result for several days or even weeks after November 3rd.  

Make a plan to vote and start acting on it NOW.

If you haven’t voted yet, make your plan now. Figure out how you’re going to vote, and who you’re voting for. Plan this like it’s the biggest date of your life. 

If you can, vote early and in-person. It is still the most ideal way to vote in this election.

A great resource with state-by-state information is at whenweallvote.org. Check it out then confirm your voting rules and deadlines with your county elections office. 

If you plan to vote by mail (also called absentee voting in states like Wisconsin), make sure you are registered, and then VERY CAREFULLY follow the directions on how to submit your ballot. 

Adopt a swing state and help get out the vote.

You can phone bank or text with others organizing in battleground states - we don’t believe it is even partisan anymore to help to ensure Biden wins since Trump is no longer interested in preserving or leading a democracy. 

Go to https://votesaveamerica.com/states/#battleground-states to learn more and sign up. 

EXTERNAL ACTIONS (Public actions that require relationships and interaction with others) 

Make, “have you voted?” the new “how are you?” in your conversations. 

Check in with the people you care about. Ask them if they plan to vote or have already voted. This is healthy peer pressure.

Once you’ve voted, let EVERYONE know (more subtle and not so subtle peer pressure on social media!) 

Post the “I voted” sticker on your IG grid and ask others to do the same by tagging folks and using hashtag #ivoted #howtocitizen

Volunteer with a friend to be a poll worker. 

Because of COVID-19 and the older age of most poll workers, we have a severe shortage of poll workers in many parts of the U.S. Visit powertothepolls.org and consider becoming a poll worker yourself or encouraging people you know to volunteer. More poll workers means faster voting means more people get to exercise their power.

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If you take any of these actions, share that with us - [e-mail]. Mention Making Our Voices Heard in the subject line. And brag online about your citizening on social media using #howtocitizen. 

We love feedback from our listeners - [e-mail]. 

Visit Baratunde's website to sign up for his newsletter to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more. Follow him on Instagram or join his Patreon. You can even text him, like right now at 202-894-8844.

How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of I iHeart Radio Podcasts. executive produced by Miles Gray, Nick Stumpf, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Produced by Joelle Smith, edited by Justin Smith. Powered by you.

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