FAMU history professor Christopher Daniels treated students to food and music Friday afternoon while encouraging them to vote at the nearby library.
Photo submitted by Jair Wright.
An early voting party was held on Friday at the College Club Apartments from 4-7 p.m. The event was organized by Florida A&M University political science professor Christopher Daniels. He organized the event in order to encourage more young people to go out and vote during the midterm election on Tuesday.
“Basically my goal was to try and help bring a good turnout because the young millennials only turned out 16 percent in the last election,” said Daniels.
People who attended the event had the opportunity to vote early at the Dr. B. L. Perry Branch Library on South Adams Street just steps away from the College Club Apartments. The building was a site for early voting which ended on Sunday.
The event featured free food, which was catered by Dan’s Deli and Lovett’s Kitchen. Dan’s Deli is a global food truck service that sells and transports food in Tallahassee and other locations in the Big Bend. Lovett’s Kitchen is ran by fourth-year public health major Gabriel Lovett, who also passed out flyers to his customers to promote the event.
“Some people need an incentive to come vote and one of the ways to get young people to come out is through parties and free food,” Daniels explained. “If this is what it takes to get people to come out to the polls then we should do it.”
The event proved to be successful as approximately 200 people came out. D’won Boglu believes the food played a big factor in people coming out to the event.
“You definitely got to bring food; that’s why a lot of people came and a lot of us walked over there to the library to vote,” said Boglu.
The event also featured live music from Dj Superzoe and Dj Pretti T, both of whom were positioned in separate areas of the apartments in order to bring two different sounds to the party. Dj Pretti T thought the event was a great idea and would produce in more votes. “Stuff like this will most definitely get more people to come out and vote,” he said.
Daniels will be hosting another election party from 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday, the official election day. There will be free food, music and drinks. The food will be catered by Lovett’s kitchen again.
“I’m still learning everyday and chasing my dreams,” Lovett said.