‘Your Vote is Your Power’ was held at the Bransford Community Center Grounds in Springfield, Tenn., featuring music, food, and civic engagement, and serving as a way to get people registered to vote in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
Dr. Rita Davis, member of the Black Engagement Committee of the Robertson County Democratic Party, said the goal of the event was to reach out to African Americans, as well as Hispanics, living in Springfield to become involved with the political process on a local level by registering to vote.
The Black Engagement Committee works with local residents and is dedicated to encouraging people to register to vote in this year’s important elections.
Davis said the turnout for the event was good, but that it could have been “much higher.” She said the registration process has been difficult due to the recent negative Supreme Court ruling on voting rights. When it comes to getting people, especially in the African American community, to register to vote—the work has been challenging.
“It’s hard to get people registered to vote,” Davis said. “I think people are defeated. They don’t think it’s going to make a difference, and that’s why we were hoping to have a better turnout—to encourage people to register to vote and not be discouraged.”
The message that Dr. Davis wanted to share with people in Robertson County was to make sure they were registered to vote. She said that it was more important now than ever to make sure you were a registered voter.
Dr. Tamera Bavendam, candidate for the Tennessee State Legislature, said she thought the turnout for the voter registration event served as an opportunity for residents of Robertson County to meet each other for the first time as well as come together and register to vote.
“It’s incredibly important. That is our way of getting our voices heard in a democracy. So, if you’re not registered, you can’t vote,” said Bavendam. “You’ve got to vote. The only way we’re going to change things is with enough people turning out to vote and not supporting the status quo of the Republican super-majority.”
Bavendam said she hoped the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act would motivate people to check to make sure they were registered to vote in Tennessee. The Supreme Court’s decision to disenfranchise voters should activate voters and convince them to show up at the polls and make a difference.
When it came to issues that facing residents in Robertson County, Bavendam said improving our public education should take priority, because the education voucher program in Tennessee, started by Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tenn.), was unpopular with Tennessee voters. She also said another important issue facing voters in Tennessee was healthcare. People are losing access to quality and affordable healthcare. Bavendam is also concerned with Tennessee voters having to deal with affordable living, because rent prices were increasing along with grocery prices—not just in Robertson County, but across the state of Tennessee.
