Expanding Democracy

Expanding Democracy means fostering and facilitating responsible, accountable governance that is responsive to the needs of the communities and constituency it serves. To accomplish this, Southern Echo using the powerful vehicles of Voting Rights, the 2020 Census, and the Redistricting Process that will follow the Census Count.

Voting Rights and Access to the Polls

In the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, safe and unfettered access to the polls is critical in maintaining the individual voting rights of Mississippi citizens. Safer options to in-person voting must be made available to communities. These may include early voting, multi-day voting, and vote by mail in addition to online voter registration. We must work to ensure that our legislators use federal funds to assist in Covid-19 safety adaptations and protocols around the upcoming elections.

2020 Census: #COUNT ME IN

As the 2020 population numbers will shape how political power and over 800 million dollars will be shared in the U.S. over the next ten years, an accurate Census count is of monumental importance, especially to communities of color. The population count will determine the number of congressional seats and Electoral College votes. It will determine how federal funding is distributed for schools, roads, bridges, Medicare, and other public services in local communities. Importantly, the 2020 Census will be the first one to allow all U.S. households to respond online. While paper forms, phone calls, and eventually some door-to-door interactions will be utilized, the primary source for responses will be digital.

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