With election season coming to a close in less than a week, Organize for America has taken residence at Florida A&M to give students no reason not to vote.
As part of its border state initiative, volunteers from outside of Florida have been dispatched to assist students in following through on what has been a fierce push to register voters.
Jennifer Jenkins, a volunteer from Atlanta, said the organization was “impressed with the enthusiasm” of Monday’s march from FAMU to the courthouse to participate in early voting.
Jenkins is working on the FAMU neighborhood team, which is offering shuttle rides from campus to the courthouse between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Shuttles leave from McGuinn Hall, but Jenkins said that students can also sign up at McGuinn for individual appointments that fit their schedules better.
Jenkins said almost 100 students had been taken to vote Tuesday.
Samantha Bernardin, a second-year pharmacy student from Haiti, said she thought the service would push more students to the polls because voting may not be a priority for students.
“The shuttle was convenient due to the fact that students could go right after class,” Bernardin said. “I feel like my vote makes a difference.”
Jenkins said the shuttle service can only gain more momentum as Election Day approaches.
“I think it’s going to grow exponentially,” she said. “This was only a trial run.”
Organize for America will be at FAMU until Saturday. They will organize other locations for pickup, including the cafeteria from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m.
“Every vote counts,” said Barbara Westcott, another volunteer. “The election is not going to win itself.”
Correspondent Raché Henderson contributed to this story.