Shaw Univ. students march to the polls on opening day of early voting

As early voting kicked off across North Carolina on Thursday, students from Shaw University marched to the polls to make their voice heard at the ballot box.

The march included several first-time voters, including Briona May, a junior majoring in social work.

“I was very excited,” May said. “Once you got in the polling place, you were able to express your own opinion. It felt good to actually have a voice.”

The nonpartisan Common Cause North Carolina helped organize the march to the polls as part of the Black Votes Matter campaign that the organization is leading at nine historically black colleges and universities across the state, encouraging students to get engaged with this year’s election.

“It’s great to see so many students take the time to vote,” said Alyssa Canty, college outreach coordinator with Common Cause NC. “Our hope is that today’s experience will help these young people become lifelong participants in democracy.”

Common Cause NC is also working to educate voters of all ages about this year’s election by providing a nonpartisan voter guide both in print and online at NCVoterGuide.org.

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