NAACP helps community members register to vote on National Voter Registration Day

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) —  The general election in Kentucky is just around the corner and it will be here before we even know it, and on National Voter Registration Day, the NAACP set up outside of the courthouses in Lexington to register those in the community and make sure their voices are being heard.

“We want to make sure that you are registered so that you can be a full participant in this democracy,” says Whit Whitaker the president of the Lexington-Fayette Chapter of the NAACP.

He says the biggest misconception is that its hard to register to vote, and that the process is time consuming.

“In some cases some people feel that they may have had a felony on their record, but we also give them the information to they can check because a few years ago, the governor pardoned a certain number of felons, and there’s a process you can go through to try to get your voting rights restored,” he adds.

Whitaker adds that another excuse he often hears is people saying their vote won’t matter.

“If you want to effect change here, if you want to put a stamp or be in the trenches to drive some of the policies that our politicians are making, you have to be in the game by being registered and by actually going to vote and actually following some of these bills that are going through so that you can participate in joining petitions, being in contact with your congress people or your senators or your council people,” said Whitaker.

The deadline to register to vote is October 10th.

The general election is November 7th.

To check your status or to register to vote, click here.