Eleanor Wertman with her baby girl (and future voter!), Soraya.
All month long, YCV has been highlighting volunteers for volunteer appreciation month. Our final volunteer spotlight goes to Eleanor Wertman, who was first introduced to YCV back in 2017 after hearing about us at a separate rally.
“I was like oh, ‘but who are they?’ And they were like, ‘They do all the voter outreach in North Carolina.’ I was like, ‘great!’ And I looked it up and really liked the mission of the organization,” Eleanor said. “I like the non-partisan aspect of it because it really opens the door to talk to all kinds of people who otherwise don’t want to talk to you,” she said.
Over the past five years, Eleanor has helped YCV at booths, parades, and other voter registration events. When speaking to voters, Eleanor hopes she leaves them with the impression that they can be difference makers. “Getting people to understand that they have some degree of influence in what’s happening in their local community is really exciting,” she said.
Her most memorable moments as a YCV volunteer include the times where she helped people realize they were eligible voters. “One was a young woman who was 20 and didn’t realize her right to vote kicked in when she turned 18. Another was an event for people in recovery from substance abuse. A lot of those people had involvement with the criminal justice system and a lot of them didn’t know they could vote. I had one guy call his buddy and say, ‘did you know we could vote?’”
Her dedication to civic engagement stems from her desire to help others. That desire carries over into her career as a public health expert, where she advocates for accessible healthcare for children. She said her volunteerism with YCV is a continuation of her goal to bring equity to the community.
Now that she’s a mother, Eleanor’s civic responsibility has taken on new meaning as she has a baby girl looking up to her. “I’m looking forward to taking her to vote with me in the future,” she said.
Thank you, Eleanor, for all you do to educate, register, and empower voters in the Triangle area!
