Contributed by
Cincinnati NAACP
On February 12th, 2024, the Cincinnati NAACP proudly unveiled our mobile Civic Engagement Vehicle, granting a hopefully, heartening first glimpse at our custom-wrapped vehicle to the public. The Civic Engagement Vehicle (CEV) will be used to improve voter turnout in Hamilton County in a variety of ways. It will allow us to meet people where they are, by traveling to various neighborhoods, to provide voter registration, maintenance and verification, i.e., assisting with updating addresses and confirmation of voter status, as well as assisting with submitting requests to vote by mail. We will also provide voter education, particularly, helping voters to verify their polling locations and access their applicable sample ballots, and will be able to provide information about the candidates and issues on their ballots. We will be able to provide this assistance in the field. Our goal is to optimize the opportunity to participate in the electoral process for increasingly more potential voters, particularly those in disenfranchised communities where oftentimes, we have otherwise seen a lower voter turnout. Through our efforts we additionally hope to address voter apathy and to encourage more people to participate in the process of voting.
This day was chosen for the unveiling because of its significance as the Founder’s Day of the Local chapter of our organization. The NAACP is the oldest and most recognized civil rights organization in the country, and our branch was established on February 12th, 1915. Hence, it is the 109th Anniversary of the enactment of our local Charter, and our unit’s birthday, if you will, commemorative of the date when our service to our local community officially started. When the Cincinnati NAACP began leading the charge in The Movement on a local level, advancing the fight for equality and civil rights in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over a century later, not only are we still going, but we are stepping up our efforts continually.
This endeavor would not have been possible without first of all the vision and tenacity of President Joe Mallory, whose dedication to the community and willingness to lead the charge of ensuring that all elections are fairly conducted, and that the opportunity to participate in elections is made equally accessible for all persons, a belief which would lead him to conceptualized the mobile Civic Engagement Vehicle, then to begin to tirelessly pursuit bringing the ideal to fruition. His goal was supported by the members of the organization at various levels as well as the support of sponsors and truly reliant community allies who such as Fifth Third, Kroger, The McElrath-Slade Wellness Institute (MSWI), and the Cincinnati Greater Foundation, the invaluable support of Cincinnati Metro and our neighbor and partner in the struggle, the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio.
The Cincinnati NAACP Mobile CVE seeks to be a game changer. Already, the Cincinnati NAACP has been doing the necessary work to engage voters and improve voter turnout, by organizing and canvassing to educate the community about the candidates and issues, assisting with voter registrations at our local office and in the field at community events, as well as hosting candidate forums and candidate surveys proceeding each election. However, now those who most need to be engaged will not have to come to us to be helped, the Cincinnati NAACP Civic Engagement Vehicle will allow us to go to the members of the community. For more information about the CEV, its upcoming schedule, or how to volunteer or become involved, please contact our local office by Telephone at (513)281-1900; or via email at info@cincinnatinaacp.com. And as always we ask you to be reminded that our organization is a membership driven vehicle, we can only do what we do with your support and we encourage you to join us, because there’s no better time then now to be involved and with the Cincinnati NAACP YOU Are The Movement.