ABE I and II students were among four dozen first-time voters who attended the “Celebration of Citizenship” event at Brockton Public Library on October 21 as part of their evening class time.            

All DESE classes have been studying the topic of voting since this is one of their goals. Teacher E. Alison Long has been providing resources for discussion around voting and the candidates while encouraging the students to go to the polls.

“It makes me feel good. It does. It makes me smile,” said Leona Shelby, an ABE II student, about her plans to vote in the presidential election. She said a lack of “confidence” kept her from voting in the past. “At this age, now is the time I realized I do have confidence. I just got to get out there and learn how to vote.”

The Brockton Public Library as well as GOTV (Get Out The Vote) are partners of Brockton’s CPAE (Community Partnership for Adult Education).

During the event participants received instructions on where to vote, what a ballot looks like and how to make their candidate choices on Nov. 4. Instruction was available in four languages. A small American flag was planted in a floral arrangement near mock election ballots on a table. A poll booth stood nearby. 

New citizens sat in groups with tables labeled by ethnic backgrounds, among them Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole, according to an Enterprise story by Maria Papadopoulos.

To see an Oct. 22 “Brockton New Voters” video, log onto www.enterprisenews.com.