Voting Rights Groups Mobilize Black College Students and Justice-Impacted Voters Across the South

Grassroots advocacy groups and civil rights organizations are stepping up efforts to register and educate Black voters in Southern states ahead of upcoming elections, focusing on college campuses and justice-impacted communities.

At Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi, students recently gathered for a campus town hall as part of the Voting Is No Laughing Matter Tour. The five-stop initiative was launched by Jackson comedian Rita Brent in partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center to bring voter awareness to young voters through interactive games and historical discussions. Participating students, including 19-year-old health and kinesiology major Kamora Greggs, engaged with peers about the election process and the role of local government. Greggs noted that the interactive gathering motivated her to help organize additional voter outreach efforts among her fellow students before Election Day.

The SPLC campus campaign comes amid a growing landscape of voter access restrictions in the South. SPLC Mississippi State Director Waikinya Clanton stated that low turnout in the state stems from systemic conditions, racism, and restricted access rather than a lack of interest. Mississippi law currently lacks options for early voting or mail drop boxes, and an appeals court recently refused to overturn a constitutional provision enforcing lifetime voting bans for individuals convicted of specific felonies. According to reporting from Capital B, nearly 60 percent of those affected by Mississippi's lifetime voting ban are Black.

A recent report by the Movement Advancement Project highlighted the expanding national divide in voting access. Senior democracy program manager Brian Hinkle reported that over the past five years, 86 million eligible voters have lived in states that passed more restrictive voting laws. According to MAP's Democracy Maps tracking project, the proportion of Black adults living in states with the most stringent voting regulations has nearly doubled from 27 percent to over 48 percent since 2021. The report noted that 13 states have enacted laws permitting state legislatures to intervene in local election administration, while at least eight states instituted stricter voter identification requirements and 16 states banned ballot drop boxes.

In addition to campus outreach, organizers are focusing on formerly incarcerated citizens who face legal barriers to voting. In North Carolina, Daryl Atkinson, executive director of the Second Chance Federation, leads an organization providing legal assistance, leadership development, and civic outreach to justice-involved individuals. Atkinson told Capital B that individuals with felony convictions often face significant collateral consequences after completing their sentences and are frequently overlooked by traditional political campaigns.

Through targeted programs like workshops, games, and direct legal aid, voting rights leaders stress that local elections directly impact everyday community needs, including infrastructure, education, and healthcare access. At Coahoma Community College, students like 19-year-old Madison Nichols-Harris expressed a renewed commitment to participating in the political process after learning about the historical struggles for voting rights, emphasizing that peer-to-peer discussions are vital for driving voter turnout.