Clinic staff at South Central Family Health Center will host a voter registration drive on Monday, August 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Mae Ryan/KPCC)
South Central Family Health Center is celebrating National Health Center Week a little differently this year: Instead of the usual health fair, it's holding a voter registration drive.
The event, which will take place on Monday, August 6, is intended educate folks who are unregistered but eligible to vote on the importance of doing so.
"Since it's an election year, we decided to go ahead and hold a voter registration event," said Alexis Menzies, the clinic's executive office manager and the lead organizer of the event. "We are specifically trying to gear it toward the younger generation."
Menzies said even though many of the clinic's patients are undocumented – and, therefore, by law cannot vote – their children still may be eligible, if they're old enough. And if they can, they should, she added, because it gives them a voice.
"They're practicing being a part of the election process by voting, and oftentimes if you don't vote, you don't have a voice," she said.
Menzies also said the recent upholding of the Affordable Care Act underscored, in the clinic's eyes, the importance of voting, and played a role in its decision to hold a registration drive.
"[Health care reform] is so important, and even though we cannot tell people who to vote for, we know the current administration is for health care reform, and we'd like to keep it that way," said Menzies. "So it's really important that people come out and register and vote."
In addition to the clinic's clientele, the drive will also be open to clinic staff and the surrounding neighborhood. You can see if you are registered to vote in Los Angeles here.
There will be giveaways, says the event press release.
The registration drive will take place at South Central Family Health Center, located at 4425 South Central Avenue, on Monday, August 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
