WY VOTE - Help empower those living in poverty by civics training

In this discussion, Join Gail Symons, founder of WY Vote, and let's talk about engaging those with low incomes to assist in building Wyoming communities and how we can do that with CSBG dollars using the service/strategy domain of Civic Engagement and Community Involvement.

The most basic and profound right of a US Citizen is the right to vote.  Our form of government is a representative Republic that guarantees every citizen an equal basis for the election of those that make the decisions impacting our lives.  Those elected officials range from the city council members deciding on the amount of local emergency services,  state legislators making the laws of the state and funding human services to the Congressional delegation voting on national policy.  Each individual can cast one vote regardless of their income, education or ethnicity.  It is the one true equality.

At one time, Wyoming had one of the highest voter participation rates in the country.  In the 2020 General Election, we were near the bottom with less than 50% of eligible citizens turning out to vote.  And that number is an increase from the 31% who voted in the August Primary where the majority of races were actually decided.  Why would you care?  Those who are turning out are deciding the elected officials whose priorities align with their concerns which may not reflect the majority who did not participate.

WY Vote was established to change this through information, education and action.  The mission of the non-partisan, non-profit civic engagement initiative is: All eligible Wyoming citizens are informed participants in each election.