It’s one thing to vote but another to be an informed voter, says Julian Mack, an organizer with the Community Solidarity Response Network of Toledo.
“Everyone says vote but a lot of people don’t know who they’re voting for and how those candidates will affect their everyday lives,” Mr. Mack said.
The 34-year-old activist, who is also involved with Toledo’s Black Lives Matter movement, was among the organizers of a community forum Tuesday at the Frederick Douglass Community Center that sought to solve those issues before the Nov. 6 election.
Candidates running for judge, state school board, county commissioner, and even governor on third-party tickets answered questions they often don’t get asked on the campaign trail — like how to fix the school-to-prison pipeline.
“We’re using the momentum of the current spirit in America to drive us to be concerned about the midterms,” said Washington Muhammad, a co-founder of the Community Solidarity Response Network, which organized the Black Lives Matter Candidates Forum.
“Normally, you wouldn’t see these people,” he said of the candidates.
Although Mr. Muhammad said the group invited candidates from all parties, the event featured a panel of mostly Democrats and independents. Also in attendance were Constance Gadell-Newton, the Green Party candidate for governor, and Travis Irvine, the Libertarian candidate for the top state office.
A handful of the 30 attendees said they came to learn more about the people who will represent them in office at the local level.
“This is where you get to find out if they’re really approachable or just politicians,” said Sheri Galloway, a 56-year-old self-employed woman from Toledo.
A lot of people “don’t know who’s running, don’t know the process, and don’t know how to vote,” said Christopher Coleman, a 51-year-old Toledo property manager.
Now is an important time to vote, he said, adding “these are divisive times right now and the political climate is like we’ve never seen.”
Blair Johnson, a 28-year-old Toledo mailman, said he would share what he learned Tuesday with others in the community.
“It’s not about what I think. It’s about giving people the information they need to make an informed decision,” he said.
Candidates were asked about Issue 1, the ballot measure that would downgrade certain drug-possession crimes — which several spoke in favor of — and recent national events, including the shooting last week of two black grocery store patrons in Kentucky. Many expressed a desire to tackle division at the community level.
“People are really fed up with the acrimony,” said Brett Joseph, the Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor. “This is really a moment for us to think hard about who we are [and] the world we want to create.”
First Published October 31, 2018, 2:17 a.m.
