GREENSBORO, N.C. — Students at North Carolina A&T are making it their mission to convince students to get out to the polls.
"I think it's important for people of color to get out and vote because for a very long time our forces weren't being heard," Thaddeus Stewart said.
Stewart is part of Common Cause North Carolina, a non partisan group that works to empower North Carolina students at HBCU's to vote. According to data from Tufts University, 43 percent of black students turned out to the polls in 2020. That's compared to 61 percent of white students. Students on A&T's campus hope to close that gap.
"I feel like it's important because minorities didn't always have the power to vote that's won secondly when you go to an HBCU you finally get the chance to be a part of a majority our whole life outside of an HBCU you'll be of minority so it's so important that we get this experience," Qualiar Newton said.
"I feel like voting for us is a great way for us to not feel under represented as minorities at a HBCU," Richelle Barnett said.
Even students that weren't so sure or didn't have plans to vote in November were influence by peers or professors to register.
"I was walking through the stews one day and I just saw there was a booth there and it was people giving out flyers and stuff to register so I was like I just turned 18 so I was like why not," Caleb Wise-Burton said.
Common Cause is hosting a Bus to the Polls event on Friday on A&T's campus. It's a block party with music, games and food. Students will then be bussed to the polls afterwards to go vote.