By Sister Mary
Beth Hamm SSJ
October 6,
2014
Following a
spirited Press Conference at the YWCA of Asheville, we “walked the walk” of the
message we have been proclaiming on the Nuns on the Bus tour and got out to
encourage others to register to vote.
Collaborating with the Mountain People’s Assembly, a grassroots group that
encourages voter rights, the Nuns on the Bus (Simone Campbell SSS, Phyllis
Tierney SSJ, Margie Hosch OSF and Mary Beth Hamm SSJ) and many others descended
on Aston Park Tower, a public housing residence, to assure that every resident
has an opportunity to register to vote for the November election.
With my
partner, Ruth, we canvassed the 4th floor where we knocked on doors,
rang bells and distributed sample voting ballots, Absentee Ballot Applications,
and Early Voting handouts. We were
equipped with “goodie bags” of information for residents who were not home that
included the above handouts as well as flyers explaining Why You Should Vote and
Elections Have Consequences. One of
the residents who welcomed Ruth and me was Derek who was very surprised to find a nun at his door! He explained that he is disabled but
definitely wanted to vote so a success story for us was that he gladly registered
and then filled out an absentee ballot.
Another success story revolved around a man, “Jim,” who shared that he
was a Christian but he didn’t think Jesus wanted us to vote. Ruth, a devote Jew, didn’t miss a beat and
convinced this man that voting was one way to live his faith in Jesus. You guessed it; “Jim” registered to vote –
for the first time in his life!
My
experience canvassing Aston Park Tower lasted less than a half hour, but in
that short time and with that little effort at least two more people will have
the opportunity to vote on November 4. I
continue to be amazed at the warm and gracious welcome I have received from
EVERY person I have met here in North
Carolina and their belief that together, We the People, we can create a future
full of HOPE in these United States of
America for the 100%.
