Pittsburgh, PA - On Thursday, September 14th at 10:30am at the corner of Wylie Ave. and Erin St. in the Hill District, the League of Young Voters Education Fund and the ACLU of Pennsylvania will hold a press conference in front of one of their newly produced billboards to mark the launch of “Unlock the Vote,” an educational ad campaign informing the formerly incarcerated of their right to vote in the November election. The billboard campaign was initiated by a representative from Lamar Advertising, who read about Port Authority Transit’s refusal to display the League’s voting rights advertisement on PAT buses. A Lamar employee contacted the League of Young Voters and suggested a billboard campaign to reach ex-offenders. “We really hoped to run these ads on Port Authority buses, but it was becoming clear that the legal issues would not be resolved prior to the November elections,” explains Lisa Krebs, coordinator of the Unlock the Vote campaign. “Because our message is both critical and time-sensitive, we decided to proceed with the billboard campaign. The project still aims, however, to run bus ads in time for the Spring primary.” The League of Young Voters will be joined by several local leaders, including Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds Valerie McDonald Roberts and a representative from City Councilwoman Tonya Payne’s office. The billboards are part of a voter registration, voter education, and voter mobilization project aimed at engaging ex-offenders and Allegheny County Jail inmates in the political process. The project is supported by the Three Rivers Community Foundation and the Maurice Falk Fund. “As an ex-offender, civic participation has been critical to my own rehabilitation,” says Taili Thompson, outreach director for the project. “It allows me to be part of the solution to the problems plaguing my Northside community. I truly believe voting can help many young people facing the issues I faced upon release from prison.” The press conference will be held in the Hill District, one of six locations where the League of Young Voters Education Fund and the ACLU have placed the billboards. Other locations include East Liberty/Homewood, McKees Rocks, Swissvale, McKeesport, and the Northside.
Tags:
ex-offenders,
pa leauge of young voters,
unlock the vote,
vote