#ArtistsWhoVote campaign opens conversations on voter education and access with League of Women Voters
- Isis Climes
- 19 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Join the conversation surrounding voter education and registration! Next Wednesday, June 24th, at 7 PM on Zoom, Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project, Inc. (PDAP) hosts a voter education conversation with the League of Women Voters.
PDAP bridges the gap between art, technology, media, and civic exchange through community-focused events throughout the Tampa Bay area.
PDAP board member Jake-ann Jones created the campaign during the 2024 election cycle. The #ArtistsWhoVote campaign is an initiative to encourage civic engagement, in which artists share their headshots and a piece of art or a playlist of 10 songs that prompt them to think about power, change, and democracy.
Jones said, "Frankly, I was really concerned about voting turnout, and civic exchange is part of PDAP's mission statement. Having conversations with local younger artists who follow us and whom we follow was disturbing, because a lot of them were like, 'poets don't vote,' 'artists don't do politics’.”
“They don't have the history, apparently, linking political movements and social activism to art and artists from the beginning of time,” explained Jones. “#ArtistsWhoVote is an initiative to counteract that lack of critical analysis regarding the power of art, the power of our voices as artists."
Ty Loyd-Calhoun, artist and author of The Merry Meerkats Go!!, joined the #ArtistsWhoVote because he felt it was “imperative” that there are people in office who fight for the “everyday person.”
“I fight for literacy in a nation where rates are dropping fast; I fight for kids to play outside to boost health, communication, and social skills. Having the ability to read and a passion to work together is what I feel needs to be promoted to the youth to grow into strong adults that fight for change,” said Loyd-Calhoun.
Led by the League of Women Voters, Tanya Landry (President, Upper Pinellas) and Heidi Davis (Co-Chair of Voter Services, St. Pete) will lead the call to provide an overview of the activities each League is undertaking in their communities to encourage voting.
“We want to encourage people to not be discouraged by all the noise, we want to make sure they are voting,” said Davis in a graphic LWV has been using to encourage voting in the face of recent laws on redistricting.
Topics for the discussion include:
Vote411: How to use it and what info is available.
Mail-in ballots: Florida voters who vote by mail must rerequest a mail ballot after every general election
Make a voting plan
Know before you go: Check the dates and locations for Early Voting
Overview of what races are on the August ballot (and a preview of the November contest)
Redistricting and the Election Integrity Act
Poet Davon Roberts and filmmaker Cranstan Cumberbatch, are also part of the #ArtistsWhoVote campaign.
“When you vote, you have the right to be heard, [and] you have the right to be seen. Your vote makes a difference in the country and the community, said Roberts. “By voting, you have that right just to make a slight difference with your voice, with your pencil, [and] with your mind.”
“I believe artists have a unique ability to inspire conversation and encourage people to recognize that their voices matter,” said Cumberbatch. “I believe participation grows when people feel informed, valued, and connected. We have to meet people where they are, make civic engagement more accessible, and remind people that their voices and their votes matter.”
Register and join PDAP for an informative, educational hour on June 24. “Show up for yourself and your community,” said Jones.
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