Meet The TurnUps
TurnUpTurnOutVote is a nonpartisan civic engagement program featuring the TurnUp Family. The TurnUps are a fictional multigenerational civically engaged family created during the 2020 Presidential elections to engage Florida voters in the election process.
Theodore TurnUp Sr.: I’m Theodore TurnUp, Sr., but you can call me GrandPop Teddy. I was birthed into a family of resistors and grew up fighting for the rights of oppressed people, my people. With great pride, I get to share these core values with my family. I’ve come to know that one of the best ways for marginalized people to fight is with their VOTE!
Theodore TurnUp III: Hi I’m Theodore TurnUp III, but everyone calls me Trey. What a year 2020 has been! It’s my senior year in high school, an important election year and I just turned eighteen—so now I get to exercise my right to VOTE and carry on the TurnUp legacy. Let’s go!
Zora TurnUp: Well, hello there...I’m Zora TurnUp, Trey’s grandmother. It brings me joy to see him following in his grandfather’s footsteps and doing his part to be an involved citizen. Many know me from my work with ‘Souls To The Polls’ but this work began as a little child, when I attended marches with my own parents. There’s still so much work to be done, so let's roll up our sleeves and TurnUP the VOTE!
Theodore TurnUp Jr. :What’s up everybody, it’s Theo TurnUp Jr. here, but I go by Big T! I’m a husband to Xiomara, father to Trey and Tiffany, and leader in my community. I proudly follow in the footsteps of a long line of civic leaders. I encourage everyone I meet to use their VOTE as their voice!
Xiomara TurnUp: ¡Hola, mi nombre es Xiomara TurnUp! I’m Puerto Rican born but American raised with a good blend of plantains and protesting in my blood. I’m a proud Latina that speaks up for communities of black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)—because our voices matter, our lives matter and so does our VOTE!
Tiffany TurnUp I’m Tiffany, the youngest of the TurnUp family! I’m learning everything I can from my family about politics, community, and especially about voting because one day I’ll be the first female president of the United States. I’m not old enough to VOTE yet, so I encourage all of you to do it for me!
Stella TurnUp: Hello there, I’m Stella TurnUp—daughter of Theodore & Zora! Everything I know about activism, I learned from them. That’s why I started a grassroots organization that teaches civic awareness to youth in underserved neighborhoods. I often say that when you engage in a system not built to serve you, that is an act of resistance. You want to see change? Show up and VOTE!
Turn Up, Turn Out, Vote! is a multigenerational Black and African American Florida voter education program, that places all the information you need in the palm of your hand to become a knowledgeable voter, through a mobile app. The Turn Up Turn Out Voter Pro App 2020, contains videos, frequently asked questions, election tools, and covers every county of Florida.
Participants will follow the adventures of the TurnUps, a civic minded-multigenerational family, addressing all of your questions about the voting process. For the TurnUps, Voting IS Black Culture! and is a family affair. Each family member has a unique story that leads them to the 2020 ballot box. Xiomara TurnUp, Puerto Rican born, and proud of it, provides motherly advice to ensure you have everything you need and are prepared on election day. Little sister, Tiffiny TurnUp will keep you informed on what steps you need to take to cast your 2020 Florida ballot successfully; while her big brother Trey, will use the TurnUp app to help him decide how he wants to cast his first time ballot. Will he vote by mail and if so, does he need a stamp? Or will Trey vote in-person, and what about ID should he bring? Join The TurnUps on their journey to share accurate, up-to-date Florida voting information for all 67 counties! Voting IS Black Culture!