Youth Voter Engagement Team Attend #PeopleOverPolitics Rally

Jan 7, 2023 | Youth Engagement

“We must have our freedom now. We must have the right to vote. We must have equal protection of the law.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

On Thursday, December 7, a Youth Voter Engagement team member attended Common Cause’s #PeopleOverPolitics rally to advocate against Moore v. Harper. The fight to obtain equal voting rights has been an interminable journey that disproportionately impacts BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups the freedom to vote. 

In the court case of Moore v. Harper, North Carolina lawmakers base their case on the ‘independent state legislature theory’ (ISLT), an extreme idea being pushed by a fringe group of politicians hoping to prevent responsive voting maps and fair election rules. Independent state legislature theory indicates that state legislatures have direct authority to control federal elections. This is a direct attack on voting rights which could potentially mean more unfair, racially gerrymandered maps, the closing of polling locations and harder access to voting options such as vote by mail & early voting. 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities were represented at the rally, institutions such as North Carolina A&T State University, Winston Salem State University and North Carolina Central University. Student leaders and NCCU Common Cause Fellows, DaNaiyzha Williams and Rheyann Kirby, spoke about the impact the court case could potentially have on HBCU students, their ability to participate in voting, and access to on-campus polling sites. Further insights were shared from high power officials, which included Common Cause HBCU Program Manager Vashti Hinton Smith and so many more.

More information on how Moore v. Harper could directly impact you and others in your community can be found here: Moore v. Harper (mooreharper.org).

Aigné Taylor

Aigné Taylor

Campus Coordinator

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