Voter Registration Drive

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- As the presidential election draws near, local advocates are reaching out to their communities, urging people to get out and vote.

Community leaders in Starkville held a voter registration drive Sunday afternoon at West Side Park.

Dozens of people showed up at the for music, food and to educate themselves about voter registration.

Simeon Weatherby is a voting rights advocate and works for the Children’s Defense Fund. Weatherby not only wants to educate people, but he also wants them to know fact from fiction when it comes to voting.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions going out there with this year’s voting rights. Do you have to have a Voter ID? No you don’t have to have a Voter ID, as long as you have the right credentials to say that you can vote. Little things like that we need to get cleared up before the election,” Says Weatherby.

Adam Thigben is a senior at Mississippi State University. This is his first year voting in a general election. He says the youth vote is critical this election day.

“We are the future so if we don’t vote the older people are going to determine our future when our future is in our hands. We gotta take it, grab hold of it, and go with it,” Says Thigben.

Weatherby says no matter if you’re republican or democrat, educating yourself is the most important thing.

“It’s not about who you’re voting for, I’m just trying to get people to vote. It’s not a right. It’s a responsibility.

The last day for Mississippians to register to vote is Saturday, October 6th.