He shakes his head quietly as he passes by with two elementary school age children in tow. [View All]

[struggle4progress]

No, he won't register to vote

I regularly get rejections. People usually say they're already registered. Some folk simply ignore my offer to register them. Now and then, somebody stops to explain patiently to me why voting is a waste of time. Very rarely, somebody is just flat-out unpleasant

So he walks past, a mask, shaking his head, his children a step or two behind, his wife herding the children from behind. And as she passes me, he suddenly turns and reminds her, You need to do this

He and the children continue their way, but she stops. She's moved and wants to update her voter registration. We stand there, in the cooling twilight, and fill out the registration form. Then it's the time for her to sign and date. So I quickly run through what she's signing: she's a citizen and the form is accurate and ... and ...

Wait a minute! she says. People that have felony convictions can't vote!

Well, yes, they can I tell her. A person who has a felony conviction can register and vote in North Carolina once they have completed their sentence and any probation or parole

They can? she asks

Yes, ma'am, I repeat, once they have completed their sentence and any probation or parole, they can register and vote

She signs and dates the form. I'm going to bring my husband back so he can register

The woman disappears after the other three. I stand in the growing chill as the daylight fades, offering to register people passing by

I've given up on seeing them again when the family reappears. He wants to make sure he understands correctly. I show him the form

We always talk before every election, she tells me. I think he has a right to have his point of view represented

I don't want to influence her vote, he says

We fill out his form. He signs and dates it. And in that moment, he seems to be experiencing a relief bordering on joy

They have questions and questions that I answer as best I can

Then I catch a glimpse of his silent children: they are staring wide-eyed at me, as if I had produced a top hat from a puff of smoke and pulled a rabbit from it