Our story

Only 17% of eligible voters cast ballots for Quincy city councilors and school committee members in the 2021 election. Two residents, Liz Speakman and Maggie McKee, started chatting about how to boost that number and were delighted when about 50 people showed up to brainstorm with them.

Quincy Votes! was born out of that first meeting at Wollaston Congregational Church on December 4, 2021.

In 2023, Quincy Votes! became an official 501c3 nonprofit, with six board members and three unofficial student board members.

Board members

April 2023 - April 2025 (inaugural term): statements of interest

Liz Speakman (president): I am writing because I am interested in being the chair of the board for Quincy Votes! I have been committed to the formation and implementation of the group since its inception. I believe that engaging all members of Quincy will lead to more representative and effective government leadership. Our current civic engagement is often reactionary when we happen to hear about something happening and rally people to have a voice in the process. I envision a Quincy where people from across the community come together to lay out a positive vision for the community and work toward that collectively. I believe Quincy Votes! has the ability to be a convener and leader in forming and fighting for that vision. I am excited about the possibility of leading the charge and continuing to bring more people into the process with us. 

Maggie McKee (vice president): When I moved to Quincy about 13 years ago with my husband, Dave, I knew no one and simply commuted to my job as an editor at a science magazine. As I got to know people, largely through volunteer groups like Quincy Climate Action Network, I began to feel much more connected to the city and invested in its governance. I led the city's task force on composting (and now others are seeing that work through with a pilot composting program at Quincy High School!) and helped to start the Quincy Tree Alliance and Quincy Votes! These groups are doing work I believe in, but just as valuable as the sense of purpose I find in doing that work is the sense of community and hope I get from getting to know others who want to make our corner of the world a little bit kinder, fairer, and greener. I hope that Quincy Votes! can help foster that same sense of connection and belonging in all residents so that they feel empowered to build the community they want to see here. 

Tere Rodriguez (treasurer): I strongly believe that civic engagement and civic education are as important as ever, especially involving the participation of younger generations. I’m confident that as an immigrant, with extensive experience in higher education administration, and DEI initiatives, and a long-time resident of Quincy, I can bring a diverse perspective to serve the organization's mission. Additionally, I am bilingual (Spanish/English) with strong interpersonal skills, a people person, driven, and a connector. I also believe in the power of collective action to create equity and access, especially for underserved populations.

David Shiga (vice treasurer): I am passionate about Quincy Votes! because I believe we can make Quincy a more transparent, equitable, and inclusive city by increasing engagement and participation in elections and decision making. I have been coordinating our efforts to become a nonprofit to help us obtain funding to expand our work. I am excited about the potential to use data to better target our efforts. As a board member, I would continue working to put our group on a solid foundation so we can make a positive impact on our city.

Mary Lally (clerk): I have been a member of Quincy Votes! and attending meetings regularly from the first meeting held in December 2021. I am a single Quincy homeowner (taxpayer) since 2007. I received a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University. I have worked in law firms since 1983 in a variety of practice areas as a legal administrative assistant (aka legal secretary) and currently working a full-time hybrid schedule at the law firm in Boston since 2021. I would like Quincy Votes! to inform and educate underrepresented voters in Quincy to substantially increase voter turn-out that reflects the diversity of Quincy.

Bill Spirito (director): I hope to already have contributed my grain of sand to the common goals of Quincy Votes!, having participated at the first meeting in Wollaston and almost all the meetings since then. I rallied donations for the winners of the youth logo contest, including one from Uncle Sam, and I have been working to revive and improve the dormant Kids Vote program. I'm ecstatic to see a solid board already formed, and I'm eager to support in any way I am able, for example as an additional member of the board. I wish to continue to work to strengthen year-round civic participation in Quincy in addition to significantly increase turnout in local elections.

Amy Tan (student): Amy Tan is a sophomore at North Quincy High School who participates in band, soccer, track, and other activities. Her various connections can and have helped with outreach. She has worked with Quincy Votes! since July 2022 and has done door-knocking and tabling. She even asked questions at a forum! A Mandarin and Cantonese speaker, she hopes to encourage others in her community to vote. As a board member, she would continue her ongoing effort to give high schoolers representation in school committee meetings, in addition to supporting other school-specific initiatives. She also hopes to encourage higher turnout for school committee elections. (Don’t we all?)

Alex Schramm (student): I am a tenth grader attending North Quincy High School, and I hope to be a student board member. Since an early age, politics have been a fascination of mine and, to fuel this interest, I am involved with my school’s Debate Club, and serve as treasurer to the Political Engagement Club. As an extension of this passion, I aim to be active in my community, namely spreading voting awareness and information to my peers, some of which have already reached voting age, and many who are approaching that critical point. Thank you.

Ashna Guha (student): My name is Ashna Guha — currently a senior at North Quincy High School, heading to college at UMass Amherst. I’ve been president of the NQHS Political Engagement club for 3 years. I’ve led my club in a variety of fundraisers to support our field trips to debate conventions held by the Junior State of America (JSA), an organization that encourages high schoolers to engage in politics. As a JSA Conventions Agent, I’ve also been personally involved in planning 2022-23 conventions in New York and Washington, DC. I aim to expand Quincy Votes! by diversifying our online presence. During our February in-person meeting, I suggested a social media campaign to partner with individuals representing various minorities to create videos appealing to their respective populations in Quincy. We will inform voters of their influence and encourage a larger voter turnout to ensure that our elected officials truly represent Quincy.