A Choice Toward Change

Voting has been an important aspect of community voices. It wasn’t until the 26th amendment that the minimum voting age for all citizens was 18 years old. This ratification enabled young adults in society to inspire change for newer generations as communities around the world continue to evolve.
On last Wednesday, the Power Coalition made an appearance on-campus to discuss the importance of voting in Louisiana to make a change in celebration of the upcoming Constitution Day. Constitution Day is celebrated annually on September 17th to commemorate the formation of the United States Constitution in 1787.
Corimonae Bay, junior mass communications major concentrated in broadcast journalism from Houston, Texas expressed how she felt registering to vote.
“Honestly(at first), I felt pretty neutral about it. It didn’t normally feel like voting directly affected me. But as I grow older I noticed that in my now-adult life, these decisions matter and affect my life especially dealing with money, opportunity, and rights. Especially as an African American WOMAN!” Bay stated.
Elijah Crawford, alumnus of Southern University and A&M College, and Power Fellow for the Power Coalition stated the importance of voting. Encouraging students, especially those of color to take action with their vote in the upcoming elections.
“It is important for students to vote because we have power in numbers as black folks throughout the south,” Crawford said.
The event was hosted by the Office of Financial Aid and powered by the Power Coalition, S.U. chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Office of Community Outreach and Inclusion.
Christopher Levy, scholarship coordinator for the Office of Financial Aid also shared his perspective on the power of voting and how it can make a difference.
“Right now in today’s climate data, a young voter is gonna truly determine some elections because a lot of young voters have a passion about what they believe in and they want to see the future of the country going the right direction,” Levy stated.
He continued, “So I think we’re going to have a nice turnout of young voters but we definitely need to push on our university campuses for our students to understand where they need to vote. There are voting polls here on campus, across the nation, and within their local cities.”
The future of this society lies within the hands of young adults and students today. Whether it be on campus, online, or locally, the Power Coalition, fellow students, and administrators encourage voting to create change in the world. Early voting begins every Sunday from October 25th through November 1st, Congressional Primary Election Day takes place on November 8th, 2022. Polls are available as early as 6:00 am until as late as 8:00 pm.
Find more information about the Power Coalition at their website:PowerCoalition.org/PSC