SAN ANTONIO – With a momentous presidential election during a pandemic still ahead, the importance of registering voters is not lost on San Antonio activists and community groups.
"I'm getting that people are wanting to participate, especially in this election, and really have their voice heard," said Valerie Reiffert, who helped organize Radical Registrars in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in downtown San Antonio.
How to register to vote in Texas for the Nov. 3 presidential election
Reiffert said 40 new voters were registered in two demographically different locations last Saturday.
"I registered my 95th person," Reiffert said. "Only five away from 100."
She said nearly 700 people have registered to vote with the organization's help so far.
Last Saturday, Reiffert said the organization joined forces with Phoenix Outreach Working Education and Re-Creation (POWER), a community nonprofit working with youth and families. The two groups plan to have another event together on Sept. 12.
Reiffert said she is very aware of the significance that the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote, fell on a presidential election year.
"It just shows that you've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," Reiffert said.
As a wife and mother, with a background in sales and a degree in mass communication with a minor in criminal justice, the Texas State University graduate said she and others like her are trying to follow civil rights leaders' footsteps.
Quoting the late Congressman John Lewis, Reiffert said, "'Our vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have, and there's a reason why people fought so hard to keep us from using it.'"
Reiffert said a block party with COVID-19 protocols is in the works for Sept. 22, marking National Voter Registration Day. She said details will be on the Radical Registrars Facebook page and on Instagram.