Press Release from the Vote LaMark Muir Campaign

On Aug. 10, Renee LaMark Muir, the endorsed Democrat candidate for state representative for the 36th Assembly District, held a Young Voter Town Hall event in Deep River. A large group of young adults from Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Haddam gathered for the town hall-format discussion.

“I thought it was an eye-opening experience,” said one of the attendees. “It demonstrated the importance of our voice and our vote.”

This event provided a rare opportunity for young voters to engage directly with LaMark Muir, who is endorsed by the Connecticut chapter of the Young Democrats. LaMark Muir was eager to speak with local young people.

“Renee was able to pull me in with her understanding of how different people should treat each other…and that we should work together and listen to each other, even with opposing viewpoints,” a participant from Deep River stated.

LaMark Muir spoke about her experience as a police officer in Hartford and as a public policy analyst for the state legislature, in addition to why she decided to run for state representative. She then opened the discussion for the participants to ask questions and explain the issues which are priorities for them.

The group expressed a focus on fighting for women’s rights and access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, climate crisis effects and mitigations, costs and availability of housing for young adults and first-time home buyers; and creating a small, business friendly economy for young entrepreneurs while limiting bureaucracy in business set-up. Finally, the young people spoke about their excitement to vote in the upcoming election on state and national levels, despite feeling discomfort about the strong political partisanship.

“Renee made an effort to touch upon the topics that impact my generation and we are going to have to fix when we inherit the world…Candidates like Renee LaMark Muir are making a serious effort to improve those issues today, so we inherit a better tomorrow,” a young person from Essex commented.

LaMark Muir responded to questions and discussed her proposals for legislative solutions and programs. She assured the young people in attendance that she would represent them and focus on their issues at the state legislature. She also encouraged them to use their voices and votes to hold elected officials accountable for addressing voters’ concerns and needs.

“I am very optimistic about this election and our future,” LaMark Muir stated. “These young voters recognize that they have growing political power, and it’s exciting that they are increasingly engaged in preserving our democracy. They are our future leaders, and it is up to us to listen to them and leave them with a preserved democracy and functioning government.”

“Renee’s effort to connect with young voters like me and gain insight into the issues that impact my generation make me feel like my voice is being heard and make me want to continue to be involved in my local government as long as it is people like Renee who are representing me,” a young resident from Essex commented.

This event was organized by two LaMark Muir campaign volunteers: Jackson Meisner from Essex and Jack Guthrie from Chester. Meisner, a student studying international relations at American University in Washington, D.C., spoke about the impact of voting on the state legislature. Guthrie, a student studying government and history at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, explained how to register to vote, how to vote by absentee ballot, and also detailed the early voting dates and poll locations in each town.

“Renee and her team started talking about the power young people possess and the importance of being involved in local elections,” a young person from Essex stated. “I walked into this Town Hall not being registered to vote and not even sure I would be voting in November. I walked out of the Town Hall with a concrete plan on how I would become a registered voter and get an absentee ballot while I was at college.”