HARRIS COUNTY — Texas Southern University students joined actor and organizer Kendrick Sampson, representatives of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis’ office, and community partners earlier today for a March to the Polls to encourage early voting and strengthen civic participation ahead of the November election.
Organized by TSU’s Student Government Association and partners, the march brought students from the Sterling Student Life Center to the on-campus early voting location at the Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs Building. The nonpartisan effort connected TSU’s tradition of student leadership with the opportunity for young voters to help shape decisions affecting their lives and communities.
Statement from Commissioner Rodney Ellis:
“TSU helped teach me that change takes people willing to stand up and act. Generations fought to secure our freedom to vote, and these students are carrying that work forward by organizing and making their voices heard. Young people deserve a say in the decisions shaping their lives—from the cost of an education to the opportunities available in their neighborhoods. Our democracy is stronger when they exercise that power.”
Statement from Kendrick Sampson, actor, organizer, and founder of BLD PWR:
“A lot of people don’t know the whole point of marching together, the whole point of protests, making sure we go in numbers. We roll together. We roll deep. So, we want to make sure—especially all the threats on us right now… that we are protecting each other and that we are organizing each other. We want to show that we are going to come up in numbers and do what we have got to do to make sure our voices are heard and our people are protected.”
Statement from Tamyiah Nielsen, TSU Student Government Association President:
“My external affairs department, along with over 21 organizations on campus, put together our March to the Polls event. And this is an event to empower people to get to the polls and get ready to vote because our voices matter. And if we want change, we have got to create our own change because if we don’t vote, someone else is going to vote and they are going to get their rights and we are not going to get ours. … I was amazed (by the turnout). Just to see all the people use their civic engagement and powers to use their right to vote, it’s really powerful.”
TSU joins a growing number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide that are mobilizing students around the importance of voting. Building on a legacy of civic engagement and civil rights leadership, HBCUs across the country are hosting voter education initiatives, registration drives, and March to the Polls events to encourage students to participate in shaping their communities and the future of the nation.
The march continued the Office of Commissioner Rodney Ellis’ efforts to connect residents with voting resources and information about their rights. Outreach earlier in October included a voting rights teletown hall, participation in the National HBCU Voting Summit, and the unveiling of murals encouraging people to vote on the walls of The Breakfast Klub as part of People for the American Way’s Artists for Democracy Project.
Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day. TSU will provide free shuttle service to polling locations on Election Day between 1:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Residents can find polling locations, voting hours, sample ballots, and other election information at HarrisVotes.com.
