Black college students in the US are in power ahead of Election Day

The nonprofit Vote.org told Reuters it registered more than 1 million voters ages 18-24 this election cycle, targeting underrepresented groups and first-time voters in campaigns and other student outreach efforts on HBCU campuses and in areas with large numbers of voters of color.

Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey cited “unprecedented” youth engagement this election cycle, with voters under 35 making up nearly 80 percent of all new registrations on the organization’s platform in 2024, up from 64 percent in 2020.

Judge Montgomery, an NC A&T freshman, registered to vote in July during band camp. The drummer plans to cast his vote on campus with other members of a band called the Blue & Gold Marching Machine.

“At first I couldn’t even imagine that I would vote,” said the Georgia resident. “We took a break from the music to dig deeper” into some voting issues, Montgomery said after performing at the N.C. A&T Homecoming Parade to cheers that also welcomed dance bands; the king, queen of the campus, and other members of the “royal court”; and a banner of blue balloons with the word “Kamala”.

BlackPAC CEO Adrianne Shropshire said homecoming events allow candidates to take the final step and have “substantive conversations with people who are still unsure.”

BlackPAC, a left-wing political action committee, worked with Howard University students to engage their peers in the Homecoming centennial celebration.

Chloé Enoch, a 21-year-old Howard student, said this year’s election and Harris’s candidacy have already inspired younger generations.

Harris, the most famous HBCU alumna, has appeared on clothing, pins and other merchandise. Howard graduates waved to paper fans, showing her face on the front and early voting and election dates on the back.