Communication Director’s Story: Navigating to Increase Voter Participation
When I was younger, I dreamt about being part of the change from a national as well as global perspective. I wrote letters to free political prisoners worldwide when I interned for Amnesty International through my college base. I lived in Wuxi, China, for a year, shortly after the Tiananmen Square riots, to teach English. To see the courage as students put their lives on the line for something that I had taken for granted, Democracy, changed me fundamentally. It instilled an appreciation for our nation and, at the same time, a more critical lens of the injustices. I worked determinedly to obtain my Master’s degree in International Politics and Business.
I was twenty-five and wanted to go to law school, where I thought I could affect the most change nationally and globally. However, somehow after graduation, like many individuals in the United States, reality hit, and so did the pressure to provide for myself and other family members instantly. My passion for people redirected itself outside the realm of politics and law to public relations and marketing in the business world for twenty-five years to follow. Yet, as time passed, I paid attention to the growing issues surrounding me.
In 2006 hope for the nation and the injustices experienced by many Americans began to emerge. I recall accompanying my daughter to the grocery store as she eagerly followed the Obama campaign to obtain newspapers for her expanding collection at home. The joy on her ten-year-old face as she picked out three papers announcing President Obama’s win will forever be ingrained in my memory. Fast forward eight years, and her frustrated and tear-stricken face as she bought her single paper announcing Donald Trump’s win became a horrific parallel to the direction of the nation I envisioned.
As we hung up our matching white pantsuits meant to celebrate my daughter’s first time voting, she told me she was beginning to lose hope and that she was considering changing the direction of her educational field. Our societal loss, coupled with my daughter’s dimming outlook, re-awoke the twenty-five-year-old in me, and the need for understanding, connection, and perseverance for my family and our nation drove me to act.
For the past six years, I have served as a founding member of my Northridge Indivisible chapter as co-chair. As time progressed, I volunteered for campaigns with my group as a part of the blue wave that swept across the nation in 2018. In 2018, I accepted my Assemblymember’s Delegate appointment. There I was given the tools and confidence to realize that political work was an aspect of my life that I wanted to focus on. I later ran for and won a seat on my Neighborhood Council, where I now serve as the Vice President.
When I was given the opportunity to work on various aspects of the 2020 campaign cycle, especially on a presidential primary, I further saw the power of the campaign community. After these experiences, I sought to forge a career where I could make an impact. I accepted a position as State Organizer at Rideshare2Vote and later took on the role of National Communications Director due to my professional background.
I genuinely believe that organizations and individuals can effect change in society. While change has occurred and hope is on the horizon, we still have a long way to go, as accessibility to voting is suppressed in many communities. I am thrilled to be part of Rideshare2Vote to help remove obstacles to getting to the polls by assisting people in exercising their most fundamental right, the right to vote.
The only way we can move our nation forward is to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in all elections, from School Boards, Sheriffs, City Councils, and Local Judges to State and National Representatives. I am grateful to be able to help expand awareness for Rideshare2Vote in my role as National Communications Director so that we can reach more people to get them to the polls. This is my passion, as voting is the key to enacting legislation to safeguard democratic shared values federally and locally. Tragically for so many in our nation, this right is being suppressed.
Our work is critical, and your support is vital to keep us putting wheels under democracy for voters to have a voice. If you, like me, have a passion for writing or social media, we are looking for communications volunteers to join our team and help us tell our story. As a volunteer, you’ll get to flex your creative muscles by writing blog posts, crafting social media updates, or creating all kinds of written materials. You’ll work closely with our communications team to develop content that will help get voters to the polls who otherwise could not. Join us by contacting Colleen@Rideshare2Vote.com.
by Colleen Toumayan
