Madison County: Voter Registration and Fairness

As election season approaches, the Madison County KFTC is partnering with student groups from Berea College to register people from around the College and the community to vote. With the assistance of Berea College's Bereans For Appalachia and the College's Student Government Association, the Madison County chapter was at Berea College's dining hall and Mountain Day Festival to encourage people to register to vote in the upcoming election.

This registration drive is a final attempt to get people to register to vote before the October 11^th deadline. The Madison County chapter also plans to hold a candidates forum on major issues at Berea College on October 26^th, with the assistance of the Harvey Milk Society student group, where Berea City Council candidates will voice their views on major issues in Berea.

As voters go to the polls in Berea this November, one of these major issues will be the fairness ordinance in Berea. The candidate elected to the Berea City Council will likely have to vote on a fairness ordinance, so a candidates' position on the fairness issue will be an important factor as voters choose who to vote for. A fairness ordinance would make it illegal for businesses to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation, and has been a major initiative in Berea for the past several months. The Fairness Coalition, which includes the Madison County KFTC, has continued to fight for a fairness ordinance in Berea. Supporters of a fairness ordinance made a showing at a Berea City Council meeting, where students from the college and members of the Fairness Coalition spoke in support of a fairness ordinance, urging the City Council to vote in favor of the law.

Two of students testified about the assault they suffered while they walked around Berea (for the story in the Lexington Herald-Leader, please click here. 

 People in a passing car shouted expletives and slurs at the students due to the students’ perceived sexual orientation, before throwing a bottle of water at the two. The students encouraged the City Council to take a stand against this behavior by passing a fairness ordinance.