The Baltimore Votes Coalition Works to Live Up to Its Name

Sam Novey was a young kid living on Keswick Road when he first got interested in politics. As a high school senior, the Roland Park native attended a local candidate’s meet-and-greet, then ended up volunteering for their campaign.

Canvasing his surrounding neighborhood, he learned about the political process from the inside out. And one key takeaway was the way in which some residents are strategically targeted for their vote, while others are left out.

On a given block, “We wouldn’t knock on every door, and it just always felt wrong that we wouldn’t include everyone,” says Novey, 36, pictured center, above. “I’ve spent my career trying to do something about that…And slowly but surely, we are making some real progress.”

In 2017, Novey co-founded Baltimore Votes, a non-partisan coalition of community organizations that aims to increase voter participation in local elections citywide.

Instead of focusing on parties or politicians, the collective shares resources and collaborates on a variety of get-out-the-vote initiatives, from coordinating registration drives to distributing Globe Press-printed yard signs to hosting “Parties at the Polls” on Election Day. A colorful new “Baltimore Votes” mural now graces the Pratt Street bridge to Harborplace.

Meanwhile, their website serves as a hub of essential information, from mail-in ballot and early voting deadlines to polling location details.

“We are committed to making sure that every voter in every precinct in Baltimore City feels welcomed at the polls and is able to cast their vote confidently and be counted in our democracy,” says Novey, who also works as a political science professor at University of Maryland College Park and serves as secretary on the Baltimore City Board of Elections.

“AND THAT’S WHAT WE WANT—FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.”

Funded by donations and grants, Baltimore Votes is led by a five-person advisory board, featuring members of partner organizations like Black Girls Votes, Center for Civic Design, League of Women Voters, and No Boundaries Coalition, their fiscal sponsor. Together, they hope that their collective capacity, as well as their diversity of experience and expertise, can reach a wide spectrum of demographics across districts.

“None of us can do it alone, but all of these groups are coming together over that common goal, and I think everyone can find themselves in the work,” says Ashiah Parker, pictured right, executive director of No Boundaries Coalition, a community nonprofit based in Central West Baltimore. “And that’s what we want—for everyone to have a seat at the table.”

Parker’s nonprofit ramped up its civic engagement after the death of Freddie Gray. At the time, neighborhood residents expressed apathy over whether their vote could make a difference. Now, No Boundaries hosts quarterly town-hall forums with elected officials, monthly Civic Saturday Sessions for voter education, and election-time phone-banking, door-knocking, and poll-site transportation. In Sandtown-Winchester, voter turnout grew from 609 in 2012 to 1,098 in 2020.

“We call our work ‘civic culture,’” says Parker. “Because we believe that civic engagement is not just for election cycles—it’s year-round, it’s all the time.”

Of course, there’s extra energy around this year’s election, taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, an historic moment between presidential nominees Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, senate nominees Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan, and an expected second-term of Mayor Brandon Scott. But it’s a long game for Baltimore Votes.

“Elections are not just about which candidates win and lose—they’re about which communities turn out, which communities will be heard,” says Novey. “If we want to make every election a win for Baltimore, we’ve got to show up, not just once, but over and over again.”

Also pictured above, left: Nykidra Robinson, founder of Black Girls Vote.