We participated in #PartyatthePolls!
It was fun! Until there were no ballots for people to cast their votes....for hours!
Our challenge was the rules against electioneering within 50ft of the poll. I don't think that was what we were doing but the rule caused us to not have access to the voters as they waited to vote.
I heard about #PartyatthePolls on social media.
#PartyAtThePolls, is a nationwide initiative for artists to help make voting fun by offering opportunities for voters to be creative and experience creativity before-during-after they cast their ballots.
This National event looked like an awesome opportunity to engage with our super local residents.
Goals: Most importantly to increase the profile and conversation around art-poetry and creativity in South County and to share through social media in the National conversation.
We are 4 South
PG County creatives, artists Caryl Henry and John Lee Ranta and poets
Jesse Alexander and Hiram Larew with a special guest poet Rocky Jones
from Annapolis!
Our site was the Upper Marlboro Community Center-5400 Marlboro Race Track Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772- polling site, from 5-8pm.
The poets read poems, folks wrote about why they vote
and Lee and I concentrated on conversations with voters on their way into the poll and taking celebratory selfies with them as they left. Interesting conversation were had, we met new artists that we had not known.
Most folks just wanted to vote and go home-we had a good time-learned a lot and definitely lifted up the visibility of artists in our area! Thanks to the artists and poets and our community for participating!
