Crowd turns out for ‘Count Every Vote’ rally at SLO Courthouse
A crowd of roughly 100 people gathered at the San Luis Obispo Superior Courthouse Wednesday evening for an NAACP-hosted rally calling for all votes to be counted in the 2020 Presidential Election and to protest alleged voter suppression elsewhere in the country.
As votes were still being counted Wednesday, the rally included local Assembly candidate Dawn Addis, co-founder of the SLO Women’s March, who is in a tight race against incumbent Republican Jordan Cunningham.
It also included a high-energy speech by Rev. Stephen Vines, president of the local NAACP chapter, and representatives from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal and presumptive state Sen. John Laird.
The event was organized by the San Luis Obispo branch of the NAACP, as well as Bend the Arc Jewish Action of San Luis Obispo, and the Indivisible Rapid Response Team SLO.
According to a flier of the event, the rally’s purpose was to “join together to Choose Democracy and demand that every vote is counted before any elections are called.”
As of Wednesday evening, local Democrats were projected to win or retain seats on the SLO City Council, the state Senate, and the 24th Congressional District. But in the race for state Assembly, Addis is trailing Cunningham by about 4 percentage points.
The event coincided with other rallies across the country from Oakland to Lansing, Michigan, to New York City.
Though speakers noted that voting has gone mostly smoothly in San Luis Obispo County, a lack of ballot boxes and polling places in other parts of the country, such as Harris County, Texas, have led to allegations of systemic voter suppression. Speakers also alleged that Republican officials have sought to toss out thousands of legitimate votes.
Max Hokit, a staffer for Carbajal, told the enthusiastic crowd that “this is obviously an election like we’ve never seen.”
Referring to President Donald Trump’s declaration of victory early Wednesday morning, Hokit said “it’s pretty obvious what he’s trying to do right now.”
“We need to show that we’re watching,” he said. “There are question marks across the country.”
Martha Cody, MC for the event, opened by saying its purpose was to call for “the peaceful transition of power,” and to “peacefully demand that the losing candidate concede for the good of our democracy.”
Niya Williams, a Paso Robles High School student and co-founder of the school’s Black Student Union, told the crowd that their voices are “fundamentally important.”
“When you vote, you’re voting for those who don’t have a vote,” Williams said. “There is no more important civic duty than to vote.”
Rita Casaverde, chair of the SLO County Democratic Party, recounted how she became involved in local activism through the SLO Women’s March in 2016, and how she found a sense of community among the people she’s demonstrated with over the past four years.
Though San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon did not speak at the event, her victory Tuesday over challenger Cherisse Sweeney was frequently mentioned.
Casaverde said she’s proud to have an activist in the role of mayor and that Harmon is “championing social justice” and addressing the threats of climate change.
She noted the high voter turnout in the election and that “this county is more blue every election.”
Casaverde also mentioned a controversial proposal by the conservative majority on the county Board of Supervisors to raise personal campaign contribution amounts from $4,700 to $25,000.
“We want money out of our politics,” she said, urging attendees to weigh in at the Board of Supervisors’ next meeting Nov. 10.
“It’s Nov. 4, and we’re not stopping our activism,” Casaverde said to cheers. “They thought we would be done Nov. 4 — we’re not done.”
Addis did not address her own ongoing Assembly race, but said that local Democrats “must keep hope close” and “not back down until every vote is counted.”
She asked attendees to recall the 2017 Women’s March, where thousands of people marched throughout the city.
“I asked you then to put one person in your hearts and your minds that you were marching for. And now I ask you to think of that person again, and all of the bonds that have been formed since the last election and all that you have accomplished,” Addis said.
She said that although former Vice President Joe Biden could be declared the winner of the presidential race in the coming days, “there is no question that democracy is at stake.”
“What we have endured under this president is unrivaled in modern American history, and yet, it would be so much worse without you,” she said. “There are times for sure that we’ve been bruised, but never once have we forgotten to get back up.”
She said that thanks to local voters, the San Luis Obispo City Council for the first time in recent history will have five women representatives.
“San Luis Obispo, we know that when we show up, our voices are heard, but this is a long game,” Addis said. “So in this moment, we have to show up like never before.”
She urged local progressives to begin preparing for 2022.
Vines closed out the event praising younger voters who turned out to vote.
“I’m so happy that there’s a new frontier on the horizon. There’s a new sheriff in the house — the young people,” Vines said to cheers. “Because young people aren’t going to be bamboozled, hoodwinked, ran amok, and bought out. They understand what’s the cost.”
As of Wednesday night, the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office reported that almost 47,000 ballots still remained to be counted.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 8:36 PM.
