WMW Cedar City joins “Power to the Polls” rally in Las Vegas

January 23, 2018

WMW Cedar City joins “Power to the Polls” rally in Las Vegas

By Jean Bjerke

A group of 22 republican and democrat men and women from the Cedar City area traveled to Las Vegas Jan. 21 to participate in one of hundreds of marches around the world on the one-year anniversary of last year’s presidential inauguration. National organizers chose the theme “Power to the Polls,” saying they want to register a million voters across the nation, especially in swing states, for November’s midterm elections.

In addition to registering new voters, organizers intended the rally in Las Vegas to launch a drive to advocate for policies and candidates that reflect the movement’s values and to collaborate to elect more women and progressive candidates to office.

“Today, we march in the streets, then we march to vote, then we march into the halls of government, into statehouses, school boards and the U.S. Congress,” said Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada regarding the intent of the “Power to the Polls” theme in a video statement.

Arlene Braithwaite, who attended the rally from Cedar City, said the overall message of the rally was “Now let’s act. Now let’s get going.”

University of Nevada, Las Vegas police estimated the crowd in Sam Boyd Stadium at 8,000. Speakers included Cher, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, a democrat from Georgia.

There were more than 250 marches and rallies around the world over the weekend, including rallies throughout the United States and in Rome, London, and Melbourne as well as Nigeria and Iraq.

The local group that organized participation in the Las Vegas event is Women’s March on Washington Cedar City, formed after last year’s Women’s March on Washington. The group has approximately 250 members, who say they stand for inclusion, diversity, arts, science, public education, environment, democracy, women’s rights, and human rights.

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