Willie Adams, Cleveland, OH

Willie Adams is a 60-year-old military veteran from Cleveland Ohio who had never registered to vote until this year. He decided to register to vote because he feels that the system is in such desperate need of change that he can no longer leave it up to other people and must involve himself to make sure his needs are addressed and his voice is heard.

Changes in Medicaid and Social Security are making it more difficult for him to get adequate health care and he wants changes to happen on a governmental level. 

Willie is a black American living with his wife of many years. He has four children all living in Ohio. He has served in the US Army and was a Nurses' Assistant for several decades after he left the armed forces. He is now on disability and unable to work.

Over the years Willie has seen the health benefits he once enjoyed dwindle and change. He feels has had trouble keeping up with all of these changes and it is affecting the quality of his medical care. He suffers from a disability and had received medical coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield, which covered medical care for his heart disease. He remembers a time when his insurance gave him only a bit of trouble.

In the past few years Willie's health care situation has changed and he was the last to know. One day he called his medical provider so as to arrange a routine pick up from his home to visit the facility for a check up; on this day he was told that he would no longer be able to follow the procedures he had become accustomed to over the years. His coverage had been changed to Medicaid and it would no longer cover transportation to and from his appointments. Transport services have been reduced, and he now has to call 2 weeks in advance to be sure he has transportation.

The elections board for Cuyohoga County in Ohio sent Willie a letter with a registration form to fill out and he and his wife registered to vote. He has not yet received his voter registration card. 

Once he does receive his voter registration card, he will finally be able to exercise his fundamental right to vote, to have a say in the system.