New Interactive Card Game Aims to Boost Youth Voter Education Campaign
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), relaunches The South’s Got Now | Decidimos, a bilingual voter engagement campaign to encourage voter engagement and turnout by uplifting the importance of local elections in the Deep South and young people’s vital role in them. For the first time ever, SPLC will also release a new interactive game that combines playing cards, blocks, and dice to educate, inspire and transform the way young people participate in civics.
“Local elections are critical and it’s important that our voices are heard and we participate in them. Black and Brown young people in the Deep South know first-hand the challenges their communities face when their leaders do not represent their interests,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center. “As the new Trump Administration seeks to roll back much of the taxpayer funded programs that have advanced civil rights for all, we know that our local elected leaders are the next line of defense to ensure the will of voters is honored and protected.”
To encourage youth education in local elections, SPLC will launch Levels to This, a fun and interactive table-top game, that educates players on the different levels of government and their functions. Players build and maintain a tower by answering questions correctly. The last player remaining wins.
SPLC state offices are rolling out a multi-layered campaign that brings together young people, local leaders and coalition partners throughout Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama. In Mississippi, the voters will first cast their ballots in the primaries on April 1, followed by the general voter registration deadline on May 5 and the general election on June 3.
Across Georgia, voters will have the opportunity to vote in a special Primary Public Service Commission (PSC) election on June 17 and early voting has already begun. The PSC race is critical, as this representative controls and regulates your utility bill, gas and telecommunication services cost.
The SPLC Georgia state office will engage in voter education and turnout efforts for municipal races in the Black Belt, southwest and southeast Georgia and urge everyone to vote this summer through the Block is Hot tour.
Georgia municipal elections take place this year on Nov. 4; early voting starts on Oct. 14 and concludes on Oct. 31. The general voter registration deadline for municipal elections is May 19.
For Alabamians, the general voter registration deadline is Aug. 11. The state’s municipal elections will be held on Aug. 26, with different municipal elections around the state ranging from Aug. 5 to 27. The SPLC’s first state office will conduct town halls, get-out-the-vote activities and roll out youth programs focused on boosting civic participation among Alabama’s rural youth.
“Young voters are the future of this country and we’re excited to tap into their extraordinary enthusiasm, while providing them with the information, tools and resources to drive meaningful change throughout the south and beyond,” Huang concluded.
SPLC has a long history of working with community partners and organizers to engage and mobilize voters, restore voting rights to returning citizens, pursue electoral policy reforms and bring litigation to challenge unconstitutional and discriminatory voting practices.
For more information on The South’s Got Now | Decidimos, please visit splcenter.org/thesouthsgotnow.
###
About the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.