Encouraging voting, especially the convenience of early voting, the Nuns on the Bus stopped off in Denver for a series of events. (Courtesy of NETWORK)
Left, Sr. Mary Kay Brannon casts her ballot on Oct. 20 for the Nov. 4 midterm Congressional election, thanks to Colorado's early voting laws. Right, a young woman presents her thoughts at the Town Hall for the 100% meeting at Regis University Oct. 20. (Courtesy of NETWORK)
Getting out the vote in Denver, signing the bus and spreading the word. (Courtesy of NETWORK)
Regis University hosted a Town Hall for the 100%, which was one of the best attended of the Nuns on the Bus 2014 tour. (Courtesy of NETWORK)
by GSR Staff
Colorado makes it easy to vote. Registered voters receive ballots in the mail (sent Oct. 14) that they can bring to a polling place, mail back or use as a guide to go vote in person. Voter registration continues right through election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Nuns on the Bus spent some time in Louisiana and Georgia before swinging up to the Mile High State to hold a Town Hall for the 100% and take part in early voting. Global Sisters Report has enjoyed being along for the virtual ride and sharing news from the road as the sisters post it. Look for a blog on GSR soon from our own Jan Cebula, who rode with Sr. Simone Campbell and the NETWORK Nuns on the Bus group through its first leg in Iowa last month.
From Denver, Sr. Mary Kay Brannon writes about the thrill of casting her ballot early in her News from the Road blog entry, noting that voting is a privilege not all citizens can share:
Yet, not all can vote in Colorado. A young man who wished he could vote said, 'I can’t vote. I am a felon.' He was only in his early twenties, and wanted to be able to vote. That conversation made me realize that many feel disenfranchised and can’t or don’t vote. This makes every vote that is cast so important.
Sr. Betty Voss shares the scene from the Town Hall for the 100% meeting here. A full house! They had to send out for additional chairs three times before the event began.
Dominican candidate Quincy Howard wrote a thoughtful piece after participating with Nuns on the Bus in Georgia. Here’s a snippet:
I fear that – continuing the trajectory of money's influence on politics – the window of opportunity for voters to have a real impact on decision-makers is narrowing. Now, more than ever, there needs to be a groundswell of civic participation if we're ever going to regain control of our governance, and the biggest obstacle to that engagement is a massive sense of hopelessness and despondency.
After the Denver events Monday, Nuns on the Bus took on a day-by-day extension to the tour, now in its 36th day since starting off from Des Moines, Iowa, back on Sept. 17.
Follow along at this link, where you can also click through to read all the sisters’ reflections about their encounters with “We the People, We the Voters.”