17 feb 1968 & voter registration drive

#OTD 17 February 1968 The Board of Elections held a voter registration drive from 9am-9pm in all 128 voting precincts. The goal was to register as many residents as possible and to provide information about upcoming elections: the primaries on 7 May, the presidential election on 5 November and a possible school board election. 

All residents had to register to vote this year even if they voted in the 1964 presidential election. All persons at least 21 years old, who were U.S. citizens and had lived in DC for at least one year, were eligible to vote. Voter registration assistance was provided by Voters Organized To Educate and Register and the Democratic Central Committee. Persons with physical disabilities and unable to get to the precincts had to send in evidence of their disability to the Board in order to register via mail. 

Residents could also register to vote every week day at the District Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW).  The League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and other organizations worked together to encourage residents to register to ensure high voter turnout in the upcoming elections.

Researched and written by Chloe Eastwood.

Please comment below. Were you on the Board of Elections? Were you a member of the League of Women Voters and/or the NAACP? Did you volunteer during the voter registration drives? Do you remember registering to vote? You may comment privately here.

Photo source: Julius Hobson and colleague in VoteMobile car. DC Public Library Special Collections, c1968. "Committee for Black Power Washington, DC" is written on the Votemobile sign. There's also a tag attached to the license plate that I can't decipher.
Robert L. Asher, "2d Voter Signup Drive Set in Precincts This Weekend," Washington Post 16 February 1968.
DC Board of Elections history