It's Time Officials Realize The Political Power Of HBCUs

By De Elizabeth


Once Alyssa Canty learned the power that existed in going to the polls, she knew she had to spread the word. Through volunteer work, internships, and her own collegiate work, the organizer had seen firsthand how everyday citizens can hold elected officials accountable by way of the act of voting — and she was decided to help strengthen U.S. Democracy by helping others find their voices, too.


because the Campus Outreach Coordinator for Common Cause North Carolina, a company really interested in fighting for voting access while also championing political reforms for fairer elections, 30-year-old Canty, a recipient of the 2019 MTV Leaders for Change grant, is now empowering students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina to stay informed and participate in local, state, and presidential elections. She is gearing up to take on a new role with Typical Cause National, where she'll work with schools all over the nation. “I want to take the program we have in North Carolina....And do similar work in other states sort in attempt to involve young people, and especially people of color, in politics,” she told MTV News. “My major professional objective is to prepare design a larger base of engaged individuals.”


Canty’s political work started as soon as she was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; she interned for Suggested Parenthood and participated in one of the organization’s several advocacy days, where volunteers are able to join activists championing reproductive rights. “That gave me an insight into how politics worked,” she told MTV News. From there on, she determined that she wanted to spend her life helping others fight for change, and wanted specifically concentrate on HBCUs. “I have been able to connect students with the people who symbolize them, and give them a possibility to speak with their elected officials,” she added.


According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 228,000 students are currently enrolled at HBCUs In the United States, and those students can make a large considerable impact with their votes. HBCUs have also become a key topic in the 2020 presidential race; a couple of candidates, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, have suggested significant funding for HBCUs in their education platforms, and the third Democratic debate was contained at Texas Southern University earlier this fall.


“It's key that states realize the political power that those campuses have,” Canty emphasized, nevertheless added there really is still work to be done. Political tactics like gerrymandering and confusing voter ID laws can make it harder for college students to cast their vote, and often leave students frustrated by the voting process. While in a recent phone interview, Canty talked with MTV News about some of the obstacles young people face as soon as going to the polls, and what her team is doing to help excite HBCU students about participating in elections and strengthening democracy as we know it.


MTV News: What are some things people might not directly know about voting issues that specifically impact HBCUs? 


Alyssa Canty: One of our biggest issues is gerrymandering. North Carolina A&T State University is the hugest HBCU In the United States, and their campus is split in half [by a district line]. It's not just their campus, although [the line runs through] an actual resident hall. So, every time you come to campus in the fall, you may have to re-register to vote. On most campuses, you could use a general address and you also won’t have to renew [your registration] every year. [But at A&T], throughout one election, you’re voting for one individual and then in two years, your ballot would be totally different because you’re in a whole different district.


MTV News: How does a situation like that affect students’ ability to vote routinely consistently? 


Canty: as well as potentially being in two districts from one year to the next, [students] might also vote in two different locations. That creates confusion; where you vote one year in a local election may not be your polling site as soon as you’re voting in a mid-term or a presidential election. Attempting to remember your polling site really complicates things in case you stay in these dorms. There really are certainly a lot of students who will miss their possibility to vote just due to the confusion on where they should go.


MTV News: What strategies does your company develop to help students who might be experiencing those kinds of obstacles? 


Canty: We put a lot of energy and effort into early voting [where voters can visit any one-stop voting site] in their county. Students also have a chance to carry out their registration [at one-stop voting sites]. We’ve been working with A&T to supply shuttles and busses. That way, it doesn’t matter what dorm you’re in, what precinct you’re in, whether you live on or off-campus, you could still participate. Last year, we were able to get shuttles running every 30 minutes or every hour, which really helped students — especially those who don’t have a car.


Moreover, we aim to mobilize students on election day. We give them data such as: ‘If you reside in this in this hall, you've got to go to this polling site.’ Nevertheless it’s a lot of intelligence to give people at one time, which is why we encourage early voting.


MTV News: moreover to educating students about polling locations, how do you help them navigate the new voter ID laws that are scheduled to be implemented in North Carolina next year? 


Canty: We were able to help half [of A&T’s campus] meet the state’s requirements in categorize for their student IDs to be accepted at the polls. That was really exhilarating. We're also working with other campuses to create ensure that they can meet the requirements. We have up until this November attempt to get the other campuses on board. It’s hard because there really are campuses that don't have funding to develop a new process for creating student IDs. There really are some things they’d have to add, like an expiration date. We’re attempting to prepare ensure schools are complying with the guidelines.


MTV News: What would you mention to our nation’s leaders once it comes to the challenges these students face while fighting for voting access?


Canty: I’d hope to highlight the fact that the ages that are most affected by voter ID laws are also the biggest voting bloc. As we make it harder for the biggest categorize to vote, that shows much less folks are voting. Group in attempt to truly reside in a nation where the elected officials resemble most of them, we have to give them access to voting and ensure that districts don’t weaken their vote by packing — or breaking up — populations of interest. Unless everybody has fair access, you don’t really resemble the voice of the people.


MTV News: How might you encourage someone who is worried that their vote won’t make a difference?


Canty: I habitually concentrate on local issues. As soon as people think about the 2016 election and the electoral college, they may conclude that their vote didn’t really matter, and that’s a bigger problem we have to work through. Yet as soon as it comes to local elections, even statewide elections, [elected officials] will be making decisions that will affect every little thing you do. If your campus has extended library hours, that’s controlled by the state financial range and the state governing board for the university system. As soon as it comes to potholes or construction sites on campus, all of that is again controlled by the state. If we truly want our HBCUs to be better, to have the same state-of-the-art facilities that predominantly white schools have, then we have to prepare ensure our voices are heard and that we are seen as a powerful unit.


This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.


Leaders for Change is a MTV grant program that invests in young people doing extraordinary work at the local level to advance voting access. From getting polling places on college campuses across Michigan to registering voters in Chicago jails to issuing rides to the polls in Georgia, these young leaders are breaking down the barriers that make it hard to vote in their communities.