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Only a third of eligible Alabama voters turned out to vote for the midterm election in 2022, ranking us fifth lowest in turnout nationwide. It would be easy to feel discouraged by this. As director of the Alabama state office at the °Ä²Ê¿ª½±, I see it as an opportunity to further engage the communities across our state.

That’s the essence of the °Ä²Ê¿ª½±â€™s bilingual The South’s Got Now | Decidimos campaign. We decide. To do that, we must recognize and act on the power young voters of color have to make change, by casting our vote – just one of many tools at our disposal.

We’ve been working to educate Alabamians on issues that are directly impacting them, including food insecurity, poverty, the lack of affordable housing, disaster relief and water and sanitation problems in some of our Black Belt communities. We’re also working to get folks more civically engaged by demystifying the electoral process and sharing our research on all candidates and their platforms.

I believe that part of our role as advocates at the °Ä²Ê¿ª½± is to help people clear as many of the obstacles that stand in the way of their casting a ballot as possible. These hurdles may include misinformation and disinformation, barriers to voting such as a lack of available nearby polling sites, and suppressive laws that purge voters from rolls.

Across our state, to date, we’ve hosted more than 20 Beyond the Vote Boot Camps, events where residents can register to vote and learn about important issues such as for people who have been convicted of felonies, and how to get out the vote through family members and community connections. We’ve held voter registration drives at eight different festivals throughout the region and hosted a Divine 9 convening of more than 200 Black sorority and fraternity members in Montgomery, in partnership with , an organization that helps people register to vote and cast their ballots.

I feel the energy in those spaces. People want to be active in their communities and strengthen our democracy, making it more equitable for all. To do that, we must build greater legislative power in our state, power that gives us the ability to make the best decisions for our lives and our loved ones, to address the issues that matter most to us day to day. These are issues that affect the future of our communities and their ability to thrive.

I believe in Alabama, and I believe in the hundreds of young people I’ve met over the years in this work, as an organizer and as the director of the °Ä²Ê¿ª½±â€™s Alabama state office. Young voters of color can decide: to be aware, to be involved and to organize for a better future that serves us all.

Image at top: Tafeni English-Relf is the °Ä²Ê¿ª½±â€™s Alabama state office director.