HBCUs Nationwide Host Major Voter Registration Initiatives Launched by HeadCount

HeadCount, the country’s leading nonpartisan youth voter registration and mobilization initiative, and Xceleader, one of the nation’s fastest-growing and innovative nonprofit organizations led by HBCU alumni focused on HBCU students, are once again partnering to register thousands of students on campuses of 40 historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), mobilizing 10,000 HBCU students to the polls on election day, and recruiting over 100 HBCU student organizers through the Vote HBCU program. Designed to educate, mobilize, and empower students to register to vote and advocate for the issues important to them, Vote HBCU aims to teach the next generation of Black leaders to advocate for the future they want through civic engagement.

In 2024, the program’s expanded reach is made possible through support from the NAACP Youth & College Division and Universal Music Group. Vote HBCU will also host the “Say It Louder Tour,” a series of block party-like events on HBCU college campuses featuring panel discussions on the issues most important to HBCU students. Another key part of the campaign includes the establishment of a new fellowship program that will encourage student organizers to participate in leadership and advocacy workshops, with access to mentorship opportunities provided by experienced civic leaders. Fellows, who will receive a stipend for their participation, attended a two-day training seminar, to prepare for their vital role in Vote HBCU activations on their respective campuses during the “Say it Louder Tour.”

“We are at a pivotal moment where the voices of young voters, especially from historically underrepresented communities, can shape the future of our democracy,” says Lucille Wenegieme, Executive Director of HeadCount. “The Vote HBCU program is about voter registration and so much more. It’s about empowering students to become advocates for their communities and to understand the power they hold. By expanding our reach and resources, we aim to inspire and mobilize the next generation of leaders.”

“HBCU students and alumni have always played a powerful role in historic movements that have moved our nation forward,” says Tevon Blair, Co-Founder of Xceleader. “We believe that to be an HBCU student means to be a civically engaged student and Vote HBCU will ensure that HBCU students across the country are educated, mobilized, and empowered to make informed decisions that will have an impact on their communities.”

The “Say It Louder Tour” will include stops at:

Beginning as a pilot program in 2020, to date Vote HBCU has registered 3,000 voters and aims to register thousands more as part of the program expansion. HeadCount and Xceleader also plan to collect more than 5,000 voter engagement surveys from students, aimed at understanding students’ voting behavior, interests in civic participation, and key issues with a focus on developing actionable steps to increase voter engagement on campus.

For more information about the Vote HBCU program and to get involved, please visit https://www.headcount.org/.

About HeadCount: HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music and popular culture to register voters and promote participation in Democracy. We reach young people where they already are to inform and empower. Our goal is long-term, lasting change where participation in Democracy is ingrained in youth culture and high voter turnout is the norm, no matter what’s on the ballot.  Since 2004, we’ve registered over one million voters through our work with musicians like Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Dead & Co, Billie Eilish and Alicia Keys; organizations such as Global Citizen; events including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Pride festivals and RuPaul’s DragCon; plus partnerships with brands like Spotify, Major League Baseball and American Eagle. Our award-winning online campaigns have been seen over a billion times, while our 60,000 volunteers can be seen at more than 1,500 live events each year. We reach young people where they already are – at concerts and online – to inform and empower.