From ID Assistance to Voter Forums, Coraopolis NAACP & VoteRiders Are Making Sure PA Voters Are Prepared for Upcoming Elections

VoteRiders is proud to work alongside many outstanding organizations to expand and protect the voting rights of Black Americans. In honor of Black History Month, we’re celebrating and uplifting the critical work we’re undertaking alongside our powerful partners to build a more inclusive and equitable democracy. 

In this partner highlight, VoteRiders’ Digital Communications Coordinator speaks with Carter Spruill, Founder and President of Coraopolis NAACP in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, about what they’re doing to empower Pennsylvania’s communities of color and make sure voters are prepared to vote in critical upcoming elections. — FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Tell me about yourself and your role at the Coraopolis NAACP.

I founded the Coraopolis NAACP branch a couple of years ago — we were officially chartered in February 2021. I’m the current president as well. Before that, I was a member of the Beaver County NAACP branch. I broke off from there and started this branch because I live in this area and wanted to see a branch here. I’ve been involved with the NAACP for probably over 20 years.

What is the Coraopolis NAACP’s mission? What work are you doing to achieve this mission? 

The mission of the Coraopolis NAACP follows the same constitution and bylaws that are set forth by the national organization — the headquarters of which are in Baltimore, Maryland. All branches have the same mission and vision statement. As it says on our website, “Our mission is to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.”

All NAACP branches are volunteer organizations so we only meet once a month, and when you deal with volunteers, you take what you can get and work with it. There are a couple of things we want to do this year. We definitely want to get people registered to vote, get them to actually vote, and get our boots on the ground as much as we can. We want to find out if people are registered and if they plan on voting this year — not just in November, but in the primaries as well. 

People don’t understand that local elections are sometimes even more important than national ones because a lot of things happen locally that affect you in your daily life, more so than on a national scale. 

Another big initiative we have on the books — for May — is a health fair. We’ll invite different organizations, like the American Red Cross, to do free blood pressure checks and things of that nature. We’ll also have organizations pass out health information about healthy living and things like that. 

We’re gearing up for one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. How is the Coraopolis NAACP preparing voters to cast a ballot this year and beyond? 

We want to do our part to inform the public as much as we can, in all the ways that we can. One of the things I want to do for September 2024 is have a meet and greet candidate forum where we invite local candidates and have moderators interview them — like a town hall type of thing. We’ll open it up so the public can ask questions as well. All NAACP branches are non-profit volunteer organizations, so when it comes to politics, we do not endorse any candidates for office — so we’ll invite candidates from both political parties to attend the forum. This would be a way to get voters familiar with the candidates — which will possibly boost voter turnout. 

What are some of the issues that will drive Pennsylvania voters to the polls in 2024? 

Obviously electing a new president of the United States is going to drive people to the polls, regardless of your political party. That’s number one, two, three, four, and five right there. I also think there are some big national issues that will drive people to the polls — like the economy and inflation. I think we’ll probably see even more people voting this year than we saw in 2020. 

How and when did Coraopolis NAACP first connect with VoteRiders? 

It was last summer, I believe. I met VoteRiders’ Pennsylvania Coordinator, Krystle, at a public voter registration event. NAACP Coraopolis had a table set up and Krystle came over to our table, we started talking and she shared some of VoteRiders’ voter ID information with us because in Pennsylvania, people who are voting in their precinct for the first time need to show ID. It grew from there and Krystle and I have stayed in touch. 

What kind of work is the Coraopolis NAACP doing in partnership with VoteRiders? 

Before the last election, I interviewed Krystle about Pennsylvania’s voter ID law and VoteRiders’ free voter ID resources. It was very informative and helpful to interview her and have her tell the public — the interview is on Facebook —  about voter registration and Pennsylvania’s ID requirements for voting. 

Krystle also drops off VoteRiders’ Voter ID Information Cards at our booth when we’re at different public events and we pass them out. It’s very helpful to hand out voter ID information because the NAACP Coraopolis doesn’t always have that information readily available. It’s been working out very well for us. 

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