Recently, Senator Robert L. Jackson visited the Coahoma Community College campus to present the Student Government Association (SGA) with a $500 prize for placing first in his 2022 Voter Registration Challenge.
The friendly competition, which pitted area community colleges in a head-to-head showdown, aimed to bring awareness to minority voting, share current trends in politics, & register voters in each of the colleges' respective service areas.
Jackson, who serves Mississippi’s 11th district, was proud that all participating colleges worked hard in pursuit of the coveted top spot.
“I am extremely proud of the work that they’ve done. Everybody that I tell the number of people that we’ve gotten registered, they just can’t believe it,” said Jackson. “So, they have done an excellent job. I look forward to getting these folks that are newly registered now to the polls on November 8th.”
Senator Jackson said the initiative was geared toward increasing awareness and interest in the young voter demographic.
“We live in a country that is based on democracy, and democracy is at a turning point in this nation. So, we have to get our young people involved in the electoral process. This has been a great way to get them energized and organized,” added Jackson.
Over 250 people were registered through the process. Jackson hopes to work to ensure that the individuals make their way to the polls.
Coahoma tallied over 120 registered individuals, Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead registered 99, and Northwest Mississippi Community College registered around 20 voters. Efforts Jackson is proud to see happen.
SGA president Jaivian Hughes, a native of Greenville, MS, is pleased to see his group reach its goal. He believes that more young people need to be better versed in the political process.
“It is very important for young people to get involved in politics, especially in the black community,” said Hughes. “Our communities always complain about things that aren’t in the community. They have to understand that voting is a process that is needed to bring change and get those things.”
Hughes, who is a Culinary Arts major, shared that the SGA has been very active thus far this year. He hopes to expand their efforts and make impactful changes for the CCC student body and beyond.
“We hope to get our canned food drive started soon and add items to our campus food pantry,” said Hughes. We are also getting more activities for students on campus to do for commuters and on-campus students as well.”
He shared that the group’s synergy is next level, and they look forward to serving their campus well.
“I love my team this year. We have a great team. We’re going to get a lot of things handled this year,” Hughes proudly shared.