Bet this wouldn't happen in a red state, but this was nice to read.
What we know is that of the 2,894 residents who cast ballots during early voting this year, scores were homeless. They were organized by Shelter, Housing and Respectful Change and the Washington Interfaith Network, which held a rally April 13 at a downtown homeless shelter, after which about 80 homeless residents voted.
“The central message was, ‘I am a voter,’” said the Rev. Mike Angell, an assistant rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church and a strategy team member for WIN. “So often we hear about the homeless as a problem, or as clients or guests of nonprofits. But the message is, our neighbors who live on the streets and in the shelters are residents of our city and should have a role in how the city spends its funds.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
There is a special election on Tuesday in the District of Columbia for an open At Large Council seat. However, also on the ballot is something that is of great interest to homeless citizens.
Finally, also on the ballot is a referendum that, if passed, would tell Congress to let D.C. decide how to spend its $6 billion a year in local funding.
There's a catch, of course: The U.S. Constitution says that Congress has total legislative control over the District's spending. Congress doesn't have to listen to the vote in the referendum, but organizers of the "Free D.C.'s Budget" movement hope that the vote will send a strong message that the District's citizens want budgetary independence.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/...
I am glad to see these organizations seeking to organize citizens whose voices are often ignored by our society. I am hoping that these voters send a loud and clear message to the Republican Congress about the priorities of the residents of the District of Columbia.