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Voter registration drive appeals to East Side

WBFO
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WBFO News

The push to register more voters is taking effect on Buffalo's East Side today. The Minority Bar Association of Western New York along with First District Legislator Howard Johnson are providing hot meals and a chance to educate the community on new election laws and to register people to vote. Saturday's event takes place at the William-Emslie YMCA and Minority Bar Association President Jamila Lee says beyond the point of getting people in the African American community registered to vote, the event is about the how and the why people should vote.

"A lot of people don't understand how important it is to vote on the local level in order to really see a difference nationally, the importance of having good local representation to go and be able to speak for us on the national level," said Lee.

Lee says her group has been spreading the word through senior centers, churches and even a few high schools. She says plans are being made to hold future voter registration drives in other Buffalo neighborhoods.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas moved to Western New York at the age of 14. A graduate of Buffalo State College, he majored in Communications Studies and was part of the sports staff for WBNY. When not following his beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats and Boston Red Sox, Thomas enjoys coaching youth basketball, reading Tolkien novels and seeing live music.