“You cannot control the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sail to reach your destination.”
The recent mid-term elections in Hawaii was an eye-opener in much needed overhaul of our national and state voter registration process for citizens living overseas. Far too many Chuukese citizens who had registered to vote in designated polling places outside of Chuuk were not given that opportunity because their names were missing from the voter master lists from the Chuuk State Election Commission office.
This is completely unacceptable in the 21st century!!! And it’s alarming if the Chuuk secession vote makes it onto the General Elections ballots in 2017. Accepting unprofessionalism in our government must stop if Chuuk stands any chance of advancing.
We may not be able to control what the government officials do or not do, but we certainly can adjust how we do things. So, let’s make sure that every registered voter living abroad is able to vote in the General Elections in March 2017. Let’s organize and mobilize a Voter Registration campaign that follows these general goals and strategies.
Goals and strategies:
- Assemble a Kich Chuuk! Team of community organizers to lead voter registration process in each location overseas (Guam, Honolulu, Hilo, Portland, etc) using proven community organizing strategies.
- Team Captains will be issued an email with the @chuukstate.org extension (e.g. vid@chuukstate.org).
- Team Captains will assemble their own local teams from the various islands, churches or associations to conduct voter registration process.
- Team Captains will collect all Voter Registration Forms, create a master list to accompany the forms to the Chuuk State Election Commission Office.
- All voter registration forms will be taken together with the master list to the Chuuk State & National Election Commission offices when voter registration opens.
- Publish the official master list of registered voters abroad to ensure accuracy and transparency.
- Work with Chuuk Women’s Council and other willing local partners to develop a grassroots-led final check of ballots and master lists before ballot boxes are sent to overseas polling places.
- Advocate for the use of valid FSM Passports as the official voter identification rather than the FSM Voter ID advocated by the government which takes additional financial resources and time.
Join the Team
If you would like to be part of the Community Organizing Team for your local community overseas, please fill out this online application form.
Dr. Vid Raatior
Dr. Vid Raatior is a proud Chuukese parent, educator, citizen blogger, and social entrepreneur living in the US.
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Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day.
Give a man a sack of rice, a motor engine, a turkey-butt, a plane ticket, a sewing-machine, a $20 dollar bill and he’ll vote for corrupt leaders the rest of his life..!
That is true. Most people hungry and crazy. One piece of cigarettes or two pieces that enough. I think it’s hard to teach them,because they were hungry and crazy. All they want and know only for today not in the future