With in-person early voting underway, the Compton cowboys saddled up to the polls Sunday to encourage voting.
“We have to do it for those that can’t,” said Randy Savvy, a Compton Cowboy.
Savvy was part of more than 50 Compton cowboys and cow gals who saddled up their horses for a ride to the ballot box to encourage voters from Compton and around the area to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
“The system is not perfect, but we have our right as a people to come out and give our opinion," said Chanel Rhodes, another Compton rider. "And out opinion actually matters."
Joshua Gonzales, an 11-year-old rider too young to vote, added, “I think it's very good because you're standing up for people...that's the right thing to do.”
They’ve teamed up with Unstoppable Voters Project,a national coalition working to deter voter suppression around the country.
“The voter suppression issue is very real--a lot of different intimidation factors, a lot of different various factors that have kept people from voting including lots of just misinformation,” Savvy said.
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The group rode to Compton's library to drop off mail-in ballots, continuing a tradition of advocating for change to increase opportunities for those living in neighborhoods like Compton.
Some of the riders, including Savvy, got emotional about the process.
"Doing my part, I don't know how I feel--I just feel something," Savvy said.
Rider Daniel Zepeda added, “Exercising that privilege of voting is important for the community."
So, with every gallop and every ballot, they hope it’s a step in the right direction.
