Story and photos by Jemeana Smothers-Roberson, Managing Editor, Speakin’ Out News
(HUNTSVILLE, AL) — This past weekend, the Madison County Democratic Party, under the leadership of Sheila McNeil, Chair Madi- son County Democratic Executive Committee, hosted a Community Rally to kick off the Campaign Cycle. The party’s mission is to rekindle belief in the power of community, unity, and the impact and importance of everyone and every vote. This campaign cycle is named Believe Again. No- table attendees included District 6 County Commissioner Violet Edwards, running for re- election; Marilyn Lands, a candidate for State House District 10; and Guy Soto- mayor, who is running for County Commission Chair.
During the event, Zoie Roberson, the Assistant Chair of the Youth Caucus, introduced an exciting new initiative named Impact Ignite. Impact Ignite’s goal is to boost civic engagement, especially among young people, by educating them about the importance of voting and mobilizing more voters to the polls. As part of this initiative, they plan to collaborate with college and university professors as well as business owners–encouraging them to offer extra credit to students and discounts to customers who show they voted in an upcoming election. Those interested in collaborating or learning more can visit im- pactignite.org. Roberson concluded her address by encouraging the community to unite and empower voters in the upcoming election seasons through collaborative efforts–“Let’s all come together and work together to power up the polls in these upcoming election season
