Courting Voters with Court Fees in North Carolina is an Unstoppable Voters Project – a series of Center for Artistic Activism supported works that celebrate voting rights and counter voter suppression.

Courting Voters with Court Fees in North Carolina

On September 4th, 2020, a North Carolina court ruled that court fees could no longer bar otherwise eligible voters from contributing their voice to the election. Every vote in North Carolina matters and these newly eligible voters need to know their rights. Courting Voters with Court Fees in North Carolina invites those with court fees to check their voting eligibility and prepare to vote through billboards, bus ads, chalked steps from the jail to an early voting site, and physical invitations passed by local performers downtown. You’re invited!

Action Alert!

Oct. 24, 2020: Performance at Durham’s downtown bus station (1-5pm) with ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s, giant puppets, and goody bags that include voting information, VOTE masks, hand sanitizer, and more. 

Facilitators: Rebekah Miel, Eliza Salmon, MPP
Contributors: Bree L. Davis, MPA, Social Media Phobia Solutions; Gabriela Amaya-Baron, ArtCultured.com; JP Jermaine Powell, jermainepowell.com; Ebony West, Sarah Wallace, Elizabeth Figgie, Kelly King, and Sarah Perry
Performers: Gemynii, Shaquim Muldrow, Paperhand Puppet Theater, Katie Rebich, Ginger Lipscomb, Nyssa Collins, Stephen Munoz, Emily Musolino, and Dasan Ahanu

Eliza Salmon, MPP: The daughter of an accountant turned public servant, and a disc-jockey turned background investigator, Eliza knows shapeshifting well.

In the daylight she is a policy researcher; at night she is a tinkerer in various mediums, primarily acrylic paints. A troublemaker from a young age, scolded in drawing class for working too independently, she never quite followed anyone’s instructions. After filling weekends painting portraits of friends in her small house in Durham, NC, she grew restless as the election approached and tried to put her artistic and policy skills to good use. This opportunity is her first formal artistic activism venture. Web: elizasalmon.com  Instagram: expandintobeing

Rebekah Miel is that lone pair of headlights driving in the opposite direction during a hurricane evacuation.

You’ll no longer find her sweating through a Tyvek suit in the lower 9th or eating curry in a refugee camp in Unawatuna, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less risk-averse. These days she’s balancing the death-defying feat of raising twins with being a good citizen in her adopted hometown of Durham, NC. Her current job title is Creative Director of her own shop, Miel Design Studio where she spends most of her time trying to make beautiful sense out of a complex world. Ask her what that means, but don’t be surprised if the answer has something to do with trees or books or school lunch.

Unstoppable Voter Projects Throughout the Country Will Bring Art and Entertainment to Voters and Polling Places; Artists Hope to Inspire Others in Their Own Communities

In this contentious election season, many people are wondering how we can move past division and tension to celebrate democracy and our freedom to vote. Artists, in the business of storytelling and culture-making, are working around the country to turn the focus to honoring and encouraging participation in our democratic process. With this in mind, the Center for Artistic Activism created the Unstoppable Voter Project. We funded 11 of the most ambitious, innovative collaborations between artists and civic organizations seeking to increase voter engagement after receiving more than 100 applications. Artistic events will take place nationwide, with a focus on states where voters are facing barriers to the polls.