Blair, equipped with a tent, table, photo booth, and games like Jenga and Connect Four, aimed to create a festive environment that would draw students in. University cheerleaders performed, and members of the Divine Nine—historically Black fraternities and sororities—showcased their signature step routines, adding to the celebratory mood. Thousands of students attended, with at least 77 registering to vote on the spot. A few dozen students even stayed for a panel discussion on how to engage voters in the upcoming election cycle.
Blair is the co-founder of Xceleader, a national HBCU alumni organization started by former Student Government Association presidents. The group is dedicated to encouraging student leadership and is partnering with HeadCount, a nonpartisan organization focused on youth voters, with an ambitious goal: to mobilize 10,000 HBCU students to vote in this election cycle.
The Say It Louder tour, part of a nonpartisan voter engagement program called Vote HBCU, is visiting 10 campuses during welcome week or orientation events. The tour, organized with the help of Vote HBCU student fellows on each campus, aims to integrate voter education into the traditional fun of celebratory campus events.
Blair emphasized the importance of engaging current college students, who have experienced the pandemic, school-shooting incidents, health-care crises, crime, and climate issues. He believes they are now at the age where they can make their voices heard through voting.
Vote HBCU, launched in 2020, has been working to register voters and educate students about civic engagement. The program, which also holds events in non-election years, has registered over 3,000 voters since its founding. This year, with the addition of student fellows, they are aiming to expand their efforts.
FAMU Senior Anajiah Graham, said that’s part of why she wanted to participate in Vote HBCU, because it honored HBCUs’ distinct “cultural identity.” She feels HBCU alumni and student fellows encouraging peers to vote, while discussing a shared legacy of activism, sits better with students than “people who don’t look like us” coming onto campus for the first time to tell students to vote.
“We’re able to connect with our peers better than any outsiders,” said Graham, who’s been involved in voter registration efforts since her sophomore year of high school. “We know what we need the most … We know our campuses better than anybody else.”
The Harris campaign is also focusing on HBCU students, with Glenda Glover, an Alpha Kappa Alpha member and former president of Tennessee State University, volunteering to lead the campaign's HBCU outreach. Trey Baker, a senior adviser on the Harris campaign, described HBCU students and alumni as a "vital community of voters."
Despite the lower voting rates among Black students compared to white students in recent elections, there has been a significant increase in Black student voter turnout. The upward trend includes HBCU students, whose turnout rose from 50 percent in 2016 to 63 percent in 2020.
Efforts like Vote HBCU are addressing the lack of information about how to vote. A 2023 analysis found that nearly a fifth of young Black people who weren't registered to vote in 2022 said they didn't know how to register, had trouble with their registration, or missed the deadline.
Organizations like the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge are providing resources and support to HBCUs to help students register and prepare to vote. The HBCU community of practice has grown to about 50 HBCUs across 17 states, with participating HBCUs achieving a voter registration rate of 86 percent in 2020.
The Say It Louder tour is focusing on lesser-known HBCUs, aiming to provide the support and resources they need to mobilize student voters. Blair and the organizers believe that HBCU alumni and student fellows can better connect with their peers and discuss the shared legacy of activism, which resonates more than outsiders coming onto campus for the first time to tell students to vote.
The enthusiasm for voting among HBCU students appears to have been elevated by Harris's place on the presidential ticket. Despite the nonpartisan nature of their efforts, organizers acknowledge the palpable excitement among students. They emphasize, however, that their role is to ensure students are educated about the voting process, not to sway their political choices.
As the election approaches, the focus remains on providing students with the necessary information and resources to cast their votes, ensuring that the excitement translates into actual participation in the democratic process.