With one week left before the national election Nov. 5, the Black Students’ Alliance (BSA) is collaborating with MSUvote to host the Voices of Power Black Voter Rally Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Oyer Lawn. The event’s location right outside the Communication Arts and Sciences Building is intentional — the WKAR Early Voting Center is within the building and is one of three across the state that opened to voters ahead of early in-person voting.

The rally will have a live DJ, free food, student speakers, giveaways and a number of resources to help prepare students for civic engagement.

BSA External President Brianna Briggs says that a lot of people still have many questions about the election — the candidates, issues and even process. So much so that BSA actually hosted a Voter Informational Monday evening, also a collaboration with MSUvote, to better understand what the options are and what is at stake.

“We decided to have these events to help educate. People have a lot of questions about where to go vote and how to register. A lot of people may not be as informed and this election is very important, so we want to make sure that they know their vote counts,” says Briggs, a third-year human biology major.  

For many college-aged students, it will be their first time voting. Briggs says she understands how overwhelming it can feel to turn 18 and suddenly have this opportunity to take part in the voting process.  

“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know where to go. I don’t know where to start. Well, I’m just one vote. My vote probably doesn’t event matter,’” Briggs adds. “But that’s not the truth. Everyone’s vote matters, and we want to reduce the amount of people who feel [overwhelmed].”

Yet logistics like transportation to the polls, in-state/out-of-state voting rules, voting deadlines or even absentee balloting are just one piece of the puzzle. Briggs and BSA understand that there are a lot of “heavy” issues for voters to try to assess. Issues such as women’s rights and prison reform have been just a few topics on the campaign trails. The idea to collaborate with MSUvote was a natural fit to help expose students to a myriad of issues and fill those informational gaps in a nonpartisan way. BSA feels it’s important students also know what they are voting for.  

“[MSUvote] is a nonpartisan group, and they have a lot of resources. Yet they also bring in a lot of different perspectives and expertise with election season. We really value that,” says Briggs.

Confidence in getting to the polls, but also in making your voice heard through the selections is the goal. With the informational session and rally this week, BSA hopes it gives attendees the tools to be constructive voters.

BSA also plans to support a fellow CORES affiliate this week. The North American Indigenous Student Association (NAISO) is hosting “Bus to the Polls” Friday and is open to community members. Attendees can meet in the NAISO Room (G33 Hubbard Hall) at 1 p.m. Transport will take attendees to the WKAR Early Voting Center, where they can both register to vote and vote all in one trip.

First, however, BSA is focused on hosting a wonderful rally Wednesday.

“It’s a rally to get people motivated. Inform them but also to come out and have fun,” Briggs says. “We’ll be having a few different stations like a ‘Why I vote’ station and another station for different organizations to voice what’s important to them. But also stations for people who are still unsure about topics or the process. They can figure out what they need to know before they go into the polls. It’s going to be a good time and hopefully shows people that voting is important.”