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Jefferson City community holds voter registration cookout


Jefferson City residents host a voter registration event. (Kamen Entchev/KRCG 13)
Jefferson City residents host a voter registration event. (Kamen Entchev/KRCG 13)
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Community members put on a voter registration cookout event at Jefferson city’s East Miller Park, bringing voters and politicians together.

Citizens and elected officials all agree that voting in local elections is crucial.

“It’s the most important but the least respected and it should be. The local level affects you directly. Not saying that the federal doesn’t or the state does as well but these are the people that make decisions for the city,” event organizer Johnathan Ragland said.

“Local elections are extremely important so we want to make sure that everybody gets out to vote. We have one coming up August 4th and it’s important that people stay informed every election. Every time,” Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said.

And during the social justice movement voting is one of the biggest ways to bring about change.

“I’m not in any way against protesting and expressing yourself. But also I want to make sure the same energy that you put into protesting and whatever it may be that you put that into the voting booth and also helping the city making decisions,” event organizer Gregory Butler said.

“Protesting is fine. Public demonstrations, signing petitions and all of those things are great. But you have to actually use the formal institutions that we have here and the democracy that we have which is voting. And in addition actually speaking to those elected officials which we have the ability to do locally,” Omar Safir said.

Omar Safir, who recently moved to Jefferson City and just registered to vote, did speak with mayor Carrie Tergin.

In addition to registering people to vote, the event featured black owned businesses and gave the community a chance to talk to local officials, bonding over music and food.

“The community can come here and see them and put a face to the name. And it’s not a name that they don’t know on a ballot at that point. At that point they know who they are and they have a face with it. And it shows also that the officials are here with the community,” event organizer Chantilly Watson said.

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