Hundreds registered to vote during event in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Building Freedom Ohio registered hundreds in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood at Vote Fest.

The event targeted people directly impacted by the criminal justice system.

Walter Melton Sr., the founder of Voices for My People, told 19 News about the hardships he faced when he came out of jail and wanted to turn his life around.

Now he uses his organization and platform to help those who are going through the same thing.

“Try to go talk to the counsel people when things are going on you’re just one individual and when they find out you were incarcerated it’s like you didn’t matter.” Melton said.

Fred Ward, the Director of Building Freedom Ohio, said the easiest way to change things is to vote.

“We want to educate them about that and give them a clear pathway of how to change some of those things & we think that voting is a clear pathway to make sure that we have the right representation in the office,” Ward said.

For Melton, it’s more than just a vote it’s about changing the world one step at a time.

“I could have been dead, but god saw it fit for me to be here to help others get on this side of the street once you decide that you’re on this side of the street,” he said.

With the Oct. 11 voting registration deadline quickly approaching, those who haven’t registered can do so on the Secretary of State’s website.

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