Kamryn AdamsThe time to vote is here yet again! The N.C Central University Student Government Association (SGA) is hosting a Soar to the Polls event on Thursday, Oct. 26.
Students who want to participate are asked to meet at the NCCU Student Center at 10:40 a.m. They will march from there to the Albert L. Turner Law School Building to vote.
To get as much participation as possible, Marcus Spates, SGA director of political action and community engagement, has collaborated with organizations that include the SGA, Men’s Achievement Center, and the Eagle Sisters.
The Soar to the Polls event was created to increase the NCCU community’s involvement in elections.
Additional participation by Eagles would help the low turnout of minority voters. The average voting rate across all HBCUs in 2020 was 63.9% compared to the national voting rate of 66%, according to the HBCU all in status report from May 5.
“A lot of people say our generation doesn’t care or we just don’t care about politics. It’s not that we don’t care, a lot of people don’t have time, a lot of people aren’t aware of what’s going on.” Spates said.
However, Eagles have mixed reviews regarding their voting participation. Jhane Cofield, a student at NCCU, wasn’t planning to vote. “I don’t know who is running for the election,” she said. Kayla Gamble, another student at NCCU, wants her voice heard. “I plan to vote to help the people whose ideals have a chance in office to make those necessary changes,” she said.
Spates believes that every students’ vote matters and that they should come out to the event. “If your vote didn’t matter, people in congress wouldn’t be working to take it away,” he said. “On the flip side, if all 8000 students of North Carolina Central voted in the primary … we could not only shift Durham but North Carolina and maybe the nation.”
Students are encouraged to come out to the event, vote, increase minority voting participation, and come together as a community.
For more information on the candidates and how to vote, visit the primary websites and voting guide
