All Voting Is Local: How To Honor Our Election Heroes

My motivation for protecting voting rights, defending fair elections, and honoring the local election heroes who safeguard our democracy begins with my ancestors and my family’s history. It is rooted in the lived experiences of my parents and my grandfather, Clarence Brown Sr., who was born in 1925 in Steele, Missouri, and would be 101 years old today. As a young man, he was a sharecropper performing hard manual labor on land where the owners likely owned his ancestors as well.

Eager to fight for his country despite his youth, he falsified his age to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving at Pearl Harbor. Even in uniform, he was restricted to food service and denied the respect given to white soldiers. Yet without a high school education, he persevered, moved to Lansing, Michigan, bought a home, paid it off, and lived what we call the American dream. My parents made sure I understood that nothing I have was given to me—people died so I could have an education and basic rights. Coming from a resilient bloodline that overcame such immense barriers just one generation ago inspires me every day.

It is this profound knowledge of my grandfather’s sacrifices—and the realization that our rights were won through relentless struggle—that drives my passion to fight for voting access today, leading directly to why I champion Election Hero Day.

How to Honor Our Election Heroes

That deep family history is what directly drives my passion for Election Hero Day. Election Hero Day matters because it gives us a crucial moment to stop and honor the people who actually make our democracy function—the clerks, staff, poll workers, and volunteers in our local communities. People often think of elections in terms of candidates, campaigns, and who won, but they rarely see the folks working well over 12 hours on Election Day, answering constant questions, combating mis- and disinformation, and conducting logic and accuracy testing long before the polls even open. Protecting our election officials is an essential part of protecting voters. These workers are our neighbors, and in a tough political climate where many are reaching burnout, showing them support—whether through a simple thank-you card or a social media post —gives them the rejuvenation they need to keep going.

Seeing the Work From Every Level

My commitment to fighting for fair elections comes from seeing this work from every possible level—as a poll worker, a county chairperson, a campaign canvasser, and the first-ever election security specialist for the Michigan Department of State under Jocelyn Benson’s administration. Today, as the Michigan State Director for All Voting Is Local, I work to advance pro-voter policies and ensure historically excluded communities—particularly Black, Brown, and Native American voters—have their voices heard and have full access to the ballot.

My own personal experiences reinforced that calling. While attending a predominantly white university, our campus did not observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and a local public access channel aired neo-Nazi programming. Seeing those challenges firsthand proved that the struggle for equal rights is still happening today and must be actively defended. Standing on historic ground in Selma earlier this year and walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge reminded me of that exact lineage of struggle and renewed my purpose to keep pushing forward.

Passing the Torch to the Next Generation

Now, that fight carries forward into my son’s future. He turned 18 at the end of September, and after years of volunteering alongside me to educate college students on ballot initiatives, he cast his very first vote using a local drop box. Watching him exercise his fundamental right came full circle. He understands that his ancestors fought and died for a privilege and right that was denied to them for so long.

Supporting election officials and protecting the right to vote is a continuous responsibility. Election protection doesn’t begin or end on Election Day, and neither should our support for the dedicated workers who make our voting possible.

Ashiya Brown serves as the Michigan State Director for All Voting Is Local. A native Michigander, she has dedicated her career to advancing civil rights, defending voting access, and advocating for disenfranchised communities. Her extensive experience in election administration includes serving as the first-ever Election Security Specialist for the Michigan Department of State under Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a County Election Commission Chairperson, a local poll worker, and an election co-chair.

About All Voting is Local

All Voting Is Local is a national nonpartisan voting rights organization operating across eight states to eliminate systemic barriers to the ballot box. The organization works at both state and local levels to advocate for pro-voter policies, expand access to voting—such as supporting mail-in options, early voting, and accessible polling places—and protect voters, particularly Black, Brown, Native American, and other historically excluded communities.