Submitted STEPHANIE CLAYTOR | FLORIDA COURIER
(Source: Daytona Times)
Early indications reveal the results of this presidential election will be extremely close. It’s led many groups to make sure one voting bloc isn’t left out – young Black voters.
There are at least two organizations hosting Historically Black College and University (HBCU) tours with the purpose of getting out the young Black vote.
The political organization, Florida Rising, which seeks to bring together “Black and Brown communities to seize power and govern to advance social, economic and racial justice across Florida,” is hosting The HBCU Tour, which empowers students to vote by mail or in-person and teaches them how to vote-by-mail with a different address and how to track their ballots online, according to its website.
The HBCU Tour is posting up mostly at football games to register people to vote. Its inaugural event took place at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee on Aug. 30.
Pictures on Instagram show young people walking away from the group’s tables with “I’m voting for Black women” T-shirts. The event highlighted the importance of voter participation.
“We’re thrilled with the turnout and enthusiasm we witnessed at FAMU,” said Nubian Roberts, Black Constituency Director of Florida Rising in a news release. “This event set the tone for what we anticipate will be a powerful and impactful tour, as we work together to empower students and ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and resources needed to participate in the electoral process.”
The HBCU Tour aims to engage students in conversations about social, economic and racial justice while also providing them with the tools to take action in their communities. Students are encouraged to register to vote, create a voting plan, and stay up to date regarding key issues affecting their lives, the news release stated.
“The energy and commitment we’ve seen from students at FAMU is truly inspiring,” stated Dwight Bullard, Senior Political Advisor of Florida Rising.
“Their eagerness to engage in the democratic process and their passion for driving change reaffirm the importance of this tour. We’re excited to continue this journey across other HBCUs, fostering a sense of unity and purpose among students as we head into the election season.”
Next, the tour stops at Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) in Daytona Beach on Sept. 21 during the Clark Atlanta University at B-CU football game, and Edward Waters University (EWU) on Sept. 28 during the Tuskegee at EWU football game.
Say It Louder Tour
A national HBCU alumni-led non-profit, Xceleader, is one of the hosts of the Vote HBCU Say it Louder Tour. The tour is non-partisan and will have 10 stops across the nation. It began Aug. 16. The tour stopped in Florida at Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M University (FAMU).
Each stop on the “Say It Louder Tour” features workshops, guest speakers, voter registration drives, and is led in collaboration with students on campus, according to Xceleader cofounder, Tevon Blair.
“The work of Vote HBCU goes beyond registering HBCU students to vote. We are building a community of HBCU students on college campuses across the country, building on their leadership skills, to empower them to be the change that they want to see while providing them with the resources to make informed decisions on the local, state and national levels,” said Blair.
“We understand the legacy and history of HBCU students always being at the forefront of change. Through Vote HBCU, we empower HBCU students, regardless of their political views, know that they are in control of the change they want to see in their community, and it doesn’t take anyone in leadership for them to advocate for issues that they care most about,’’ he added.
Blair said the goal is to register thousands of HBCU students to vote through the tour.
The power of Instagram
Also on HBCU campuses, groups are using social media to make sure young voters are informed. FAMU College Democrats have been using Instagram to inform young voters about the candidates and the issues they discuss.
According to its Instagram page, the group held a “Dorm Storm” on Aug. 21 where its members registered people to vote as they moved into their dorms.
In an effort to educate voters on political issues, the group posts to its Instagram page “Rattler’s Recaps,” which informs users about this election cycle, including summaries of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The group also posts catchy infographics with info on items such as who is running for the primary election and where to vote.
One infographic, titled “Presidential Brawl,” as an homage to the “Montgomery Brawl,” listed key “talking points” for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, and called Harris a “Big Baller Shot Caller,” for the donations her campaign amassed in July 2024.
Florida Memorial University’s Instagram page posted on Sept. 3 that it was having a “mandatory” student voter’s registration drive in its cafeteria.
“Your voice matters! Don’t let others decide your future. Register to vote and make an impact on the is- sues that matter most to you. Every vote counts,” the post read.
Organizations such as the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP) are also holding events to mobilize voters.
In Lakeland, these organizations are partnering with the Polk County League of Women Voters and the Polk County Voters League to host a “Get out the Vote Block Party” on Oct. 26 from noon to 4 p.m. The event will be held near Simpson Park, which is also an early voting site.
“We feel like if we can get information around the county and get them to our event, we can usher them over to Simpson Park to vote,” said Terry Coney, president of the Lakeland Chapter of the NAACP. “Our young people are our future.’’
He added, “For the baby boomers, we lived through the Civil Rights Movement, and it was ingrained in us to vote…People in our generation are dying off. It’s important for us to teach them the history and get them in a position to pick up the ball and run with it.’’
The general election, in which the president will be elected, is Tuesday, Nov. 5. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Every county has different rules as it relates to the deadline for voter registration, early voting, and the deadline for requesting mail-in ballots.
To find this information, voters should reach out to their local Supervisor of Elections office. In some counties, such as Polk County, the deadline for voter registration for the general election is Oct. 7. In many counties, mail-in ballots will start to be mailed out the first week of October.