Voter engagement activists in Georgia are on a mission to ensure all eligible Black college students cast ballots in this year’s presidential election, holding voter registration drives on HBCU campuses throughout the state on Tuesday, in honor of National Voter Registration Day.
In Atlanta, the voter engagement group Georgia Stand-Up is hosting a registration drive at Clark Atlanta University on Tuesday. The Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections will be registering students to vote at Morehouse College and Spelman College the same day.
The Black youth vote in Georgia plays a pivotal role in every election cycle, according to voter engagement activists, but its impact will be even greater this year.
An estimated 41 million young people turn 18 this year, making them eligible to vote for the first time in their lives. Nearly half of them (47%) are young voters of color.
Some live in Georgia, where the last presidential election was decided by less than 12,000 votes. Among them are a number of Black college students enrolled in HBCUs across the state, where voter engagement activists are working to maximize youth voter turnout ahead of Election Day.
“Their demographic can be instrumental in swinging key elections, as they often represent a sizable, highly motivated, and civically engaged voting bloc,” Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “If we successfully engage Black college students, we can gain access to an enthusiastic network of influencers, who can advocate for them through social media and campus-based activism.”
The Georgia NAACP is one of several organizations participating in the registration drives. Griggs joined organizers with Black Voters Matter at Fort Valley State University Tuesday morning during the latest installment of the group’s annual Black Youth Renaissance Tour.
The cross-Georgia trek has additional stops scheduled at Albany State University on Wednesday, Cross Keys High School and First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday, and Savannah State University on Friday, according to a press release.
If you’re unable to attend any of the drives taking place this week, you can register to vote in person at your local election office or by submitting an application online or via mail.
What are the requirements to register to vote in Georgia?
If you aren’t yet registered, you have to meet the basic requirements in the state of Georgia.
You must be a United States citizen and a resident of Georgia. Georgia residents who are 17 can register to vote if their 18th birthday falls at least six months before Election Day.
You must register to vote in the county that is listed as your primary address on your state ID. For example, if the address on your ID card is in Fulton County, you must register to vote in Fulton.
People convicted of a felony can vote in the state of Georgia as long as they have completed their sentence, probation, and parole, and paid all necessary fines.
Why are voter registration efforts so important in Atlanta?
Black voter enthusiasm rose sharply in Georgia after Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden atop of the Democratic ticket. Registration among Black women rose 75% between July 21 and Aug. 13, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of recent state voter registration data.
Harris’ poll numbers have leveled off since July, but young Black voter enthusiasm in Georgia remains high, according to Ida Gary, lead organizer in Georgia for Black Voters Matter.
The voter engagement group co-founded by LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright had more than 300 students in attendance at its Fort Valley State presidential debate watch party last week, according to Gary.
“We had to turn students away because there wasn’t anywhere for them to sit,” Gary told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “[Young Black voters] are more engaged than they’ve ever been,” she added.
In Georgia, Oct. 7 is the deadline to register to vote in the November election (mail-in applications must be postmarked by the aforementioned date). Early voting begins on Oct. 15 and ends on Nov. 1. Polls open on Nov. 5 at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Voter registration activists are encouraging Georgians to vote early in person to ensure they have time to correct any problems they may encounter ahead of Election Day.
