Mississippi Votes Action Fund spent Saturday, September 12, connecting with residents in Hattiesburg during a community cookout and voter registration drive.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Mississippi Votes Action Fund hit the ground in Hattiesburg on Saturday, September 12, trading clipboards for cookout plates to register voters ahead of the November 3 Midterm Elections.
The community cookout and voter registration drive filled a parking lot with residents, students and community members. A mother sat with her toddler on her lap and filled out her registration form at the table next to another resident doing the same. Nearby, MS Votes staff worked the grill, serving up plates while conversations about the ballot happened in the same breath as conversations about lunch.
Members of Phi Beta Sigma showed up in force, registering on the spot and holding up their completed forms for the camera, proof that the work got done, not just promised. “We wanted to meet people where they are and make voting information easy to understand and accessible,” organizers said. Moments like these, a fraternity chapter registering together, a parent bringing her child along to fill out her form, are what real engagement looks like on the ground.
For Mississippi Votes Action Fund, the mission goes beyond registration. It is about arming Mississippians with the knowledge, resources and confidence to make their voices count on Election Day. Mississippi Votes Action Fund will keep taking this work statewide, building voter education and engagement in communities that need it most, all the way through November.
