John,
I want to tell you about a special campus just outside of Houston: Prairie View A&M, or as every Panther calls it, "The Hill."
PVAMU isn’t just a university. It’s a Texas powerhouse that has been ground zero for voting rights for over fifty years. But like many HBCUs, it’s also been under constant attack. Between historic underfunding and aggressive, targeted moves to silence student voices, the community here has had to fight for every inch of progress. (Check out this article recounting the history of their voting rights challenges.)
And because it’s out in Waller County (about an hour from the city), it’s often overlooked by the metro political machine that tends to stop at the Houston city limits. But we know that if we don’t show up in these rural counties, we’re leaving thousands of voices behind.
At PVAMU, they don’t just study political science... they live it. Every few years, a new generation has to head to the courts or the streets to protect their right to be heard. They are the literal front line for the 26th Amendment.
In an election cycle this critical, we aren’t just registering voters, we’re joining a legacy of defiance and action. That’s why I was so fired up to be out there with our Powered by People volunteers this week. And it’s also why I’m asking you to pitch in $3 today to help ensure we can organize and register voters on more campuses throughout Texas.
To make sure everything went smoothly, I was up early to get certified as a VDR in Waller County. I actually ran into two of our volunteers, Cindy and Jeanne, at the election office doing the exact same thing! Just the three of us making sure we had the right paperwork so no student gets caught in a technicality.
By the time I got to campus, the energy was high. We spent the day talking to students who are just trying to navigate a system that doesn't always make it easy for them. Some didn’t even know they could vote right there on campus; others were surprised that Texas still doesn't do online registration.
The real work isn't just registering them to vote and moving on. It’s staying in touch. With their permission, we keep their numbers so we can text them about election dates and ID laws or help them find their polling place. Whatever it takes to make sure they actually get to the finish line and cast their ballot.
By the end of the day, we had 102 solid conversations. We helped 43 students register and verified the voter registration status for another 59.
That’s 102 people who now have someone—a real person—they can actually reach out to if they run into a hurdle in Waller County. And tomorrow, our volunteers are back at it on campuses in other parts of the state.
See you out there,
Aimee Prudhomme
Executive Director, Powered by People
