Their goal is to increase the number of registered voters and those who are registered to update their information. Ion Sancho, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections, said that he is coming to FAMU because of its rich history with the civil rights movement and his quest to get more African Americans to participate in this year’s elections.
“FAMU has a central role in the history for the battle of equal rights in the United States of America,” said Sancho, “and I would be neglecting my duty if I did not pay the kind of attention to FAMU as an institution that its history tells me it deserves.”
It is easy to see why Sancho and the Black Caucus members are coming to FAMU. “The students have always been very politically activated, so I’m proud to work with the student body,” said Sancho.
Both Sancho and the Black Caucus are trying to make the student body more aware of how important it is for their vote to count. And for the African-American voice to be heard. They will be on “The Set” with tables and booths registering people to vote for the first time as well as updating voter’s registration as early as 9 a.m.
In the last few weeks leading up to the Florida Presidential Primary the number of voters in Leon County has been steadily increasing. Yet there are a lot of African-Americans like Chamir Lee, a third-year cardiopulmonary student, who are registered to vote but have never participated.
“I feel like we as African-Americans have let the ancestors down. We need to do more to get it out there,” said Lee. “When we finally get on board to what is going on with politics then it will be too late.”
The primary indicates the front runners in the election. It is important to have a say, and many people who have registered to vote are making sure their voices are heard. Some students are registered and ready for January 31.
Others like Carolyn Jones, a third-year biology pre-med student, are a little uneasy about the date. “It’s a lot of pressure,” said Jones.