Register to vote! – (PIP #45)

By Louise Peloquin

Registering to vote is a duty and voting a sacred right. Nothing has changed over the years.

L’Etoile, October 5, 1924

Urgent Call from the Permanent Committee of Naturalization

May all those who are citizens by birth, by naturalization or by marriage and who have lived in Lowell for six months and in Massachusetts for a year be registered on the electoral lists. We are backward in this regard.

     With the goal of facilitating voter registration for women as well as for men who cannot present themselves at City Hall during the day, the Electoral Commission is holding several evening sessions in different city locations.

     Thus, next Monday evening, the 6th, a session will take place from 7 to 9 at the hall of the Catholic Association on Pawtucket Street. This session is for residents of precincts Six and Seven.

     In precinct Six, where our compatriots are the majority, the percentage of voters among the men and women aged 21 and over is the lowest in the city with the exception of precinct Two which counts more recent immigrants than any other precinct.

     In precinct Six, there were, during the April 1st city census, 10,988 men and women aged 21 or older and, in this number, there are only 3,900 registered voters, 2,562 men and 1,342 women, that is hardly more than a third when, for the entire city, the percentage of voters in the number of voting-aged people is almost half. Precincts Nine and Eight have the highest percentage of registered voters and are followed closely by precincts Three, Five and Seven.

     Regarding the duty which lies with all citizens to register and to exercise the right to vote, we feel it is opportune to reiterate a call which was launched a few months ago by the Permanent Committee of Naturalization further to a census carried out last Autumn by this Committee. It has been observed that approximately 1,400 of our compatriots in precincts Six and Seven merely had to register in order to have the right to vote.  Hence, the Committee decided to launch the following call to all concerned:

Compatriots –

“After careful consideration, the members of the Permanent Committee of Naturalization have decided to launch a pressing call to all of our compatriots to bring them, if possible, to get registered on the electoral lists.  According to the census which we have just taken, we observe with sadness that a great many of us do not do their duty in this respect; we observe that hundreds and hundreds, born in this country and aged over 21, do not think to register or do not want to do so.

“What is the use for the Permanent Committee to do its utmost to help naturalize our compatriots if those who are citizens from birth or who, thanks to their father’s naturalization or to their marriage, have the right to vote, but do not want to exercise their right and remain deaf to the calls of those who spend their evenings and leisure moments helping our compatriots become good citizens and voters wanting to protect their most sacred rights?

“We have said it time and time again and we repeat it, Franco-Americans are in solidarity with one other. If we want to count for something in this country, let us wake up. Let us do our duty. We will only count by the vote. A man or a woman who does not exercise the right to vote remains a stranger in this country regardless of the interests or the ties which retain them.

“We count over 5,000 voters and we are certain that if those who have the right to vote wanted to register, we would reach more than 7,000.

“We often hear: ‘What is one vote more or one vote less? There is nothing to gain for us.’ How can we reason that way! It is certainly everyone’s duty to do so and it is even a sacred duty during elections. Let us not allow others to do everything and to have everything. Let us see to the administration of our city, of our State, or our country. Let us help elect intelligent people of integrity, capable of properly administering public affairs. Let us vote. Let us defend our rights, and support the efforts of those who work in our interest. Without the vote, we can do nothing to defend our rights and our interests.

“Therefore, may all those who merely have to fulfil the simple formality of registering in order to obtain the right to vote see to it without delay. The Electoral Commission is ready to receive them every day from 9 to 12:30 and also certain evenings which are announced in the newspapers.

“As in the past, the members of the Permanent Committee of Naturalization are at the disposal of all compatriots to provide them with all of the information wanted.

“All for YOU for the ADVANCEMENT of OUR PEOPLE and the GENERAL WELL-BEING of the COUNTRY in which WE LIVE.
The Permanent Committee of Naturalization” (1)

****

1) Translation by Louise Peloquin.