National Historically Black Colleges & Universities alumni associations Foundation and You Can Vote Announce Partnership to Bolster Student Voters at North Carolina HBCUs

NEWS RELEASE: Silver Spring, MD -- It is with tremendous excitement that the National Historical Black Colleges & Universities Alumni Associations Foundation (NHBCUAAF) announces that it has established a strategic partnership with You Can Vote (YCV) to conduct Student Voter Education, Registration, Mobilization (VREM) and Get Out The Vote (GOTV) projects at select HBCUs in North Carolina.

According to Campus Vote Project, Millennials and Gen Z were the largest group of eligible voters in 2020, yet young adults have historically voted at lower rates than older adults. They are the newest members of our democracy, move more frequently, are less likely to have a driver’s license, and are less likely to be contacted directly by political campaigns than older age groups, all of which are barriers to registering and voting.

This partnership aims to tackle this issue head-on by employing and empowering “student ambassadors” at each participating HBCU in North Carolina to identify students that are not registered, and execute voter registration campaigns and a subsequent get out the vote campaign for the 2021-2022 election cycle and beyond.

“We are excited to continue working with You Can Vote on such an important civic engagement project,” said Richard Smith, Vice President for NHBCUAAF. “We firmly believe that our HBCU students can play a critical role in energizing student voter turnout as well as influence the voting behavior of their families and friends.”

"We are thrilled and grateful to be working with the Foundation to do this critically important work on HBCU campuses," said Kate Fellman, executive director of You Can Vote. “Voting is a habit and is the lifeblood of our democratic way of life. By ingraining voting into campus life each and every year, our democracy will not only survive but thrive."

The partnership has already secured commitments from several campuses including Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina A&T University, North Carolina Central University, and Shaw University with more to come.

About the National HBCU Alumni Associations Foundation: NHBCUAAF is a premier organization comprised of alumni leaders and associates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We are experienced professionals with the knowledge, skills, and expertise to provide technical assistance to HBCUs and other Institutions on a wide range of topics. We deliver our products, consultation, and services with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity.

About You Can Vote: You Can Vote (YCV) is building enduring participation in our democracy for populations who have been and continue to be targets of voter suppression: people of color, young people, and low-wealth people. This also includes those adversely affected by efforts to make it harder to vote: people who have been incarcerated, those still in detention centers, people with disabilities, and low-income seniors. Founded in Durham, NC in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, YCV now operates in 43 NC counties and on 37 college campuses. With over 4,100 volunteers and 450 community-based partner organizations, YCV has quickly become one of the largest and most effective volunteer-based voter education and registration non-profits, making a huge impact on increasing voter literacy and civic participation in NC. We are strictly nonpartisan.

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