CCE and Citizen-U Party to the Polls on Super Tuesday
Students gather for the “Party to the Polls” event in the University Center on Super Tuesday.
PN Photo/ Zachary Young
The Office for Community and Civic Engagement (CCE) in association with UNCP Votes hosted a “Party to the Polls” event on Super Tuesday in the UC lounge in an effort to promote political literacy and to encourage students to exercise their right to vote.
CCE shuttled students who live on campus to the voting poll location at Pembroke Rural Fire Department on Prospect Road in Pembroke.
“With UNCP being a minority-serving institution, I would like to see the campus have a higher turnout and be represented in politics. I truly believe minorities are underrepresented in politics,” said Jorge Castillo, a freshman Student Service Leader with CCE who helped organize the event.
Red Springs resident Caleb McNeil was at the polls campaigning for Jeff McNeill, who was running for Robeson County School Board District 4.
McNeil is a registered Republican and a first-time voter. He says he is a firm believer in exercising the civic responsibility of voting.
“Every vote counts. People say it doesn’t count, but it really does,” McNeil said.
Sophomore Adonis Jackson, a Bernie Sanders supporter, says two of the biggest issues he sees are healthcare and corruption in Washington, D.C.
“We really need someone to stand up to big corporations, the pharmaceutical industry and the military industrialization complex.”
Jackson still plans to support the Democratic nominee even if Bernie Sanders does not receive the nomination.
Pembroke resident Roman McNeil is registered as an unaffiliated voter. He has voted Democratic in previous elections but voted along Republican lines in this primary, and plans to vote Republican in the November general election.
In regard to the Democratic candidates McNeil believes that Bernie Sanders would be the strongest opponent to President Donald Trump.
“They [candidates who have dropped out] are supporting Biden just to stop Sanders. He [Sanders] is completely different.”
Nelia Crane, another Pembroke resident and registered Democrat, shared her thoughts on our current administration.
Crane urges all young people to vote “Get out and vote. If you don’t vote, keep your lips closed and don’t complain about the people who go in office.”
The candidate who secures 1,991 delegates will receive the party’s nomination.
Currently, former Vice President Joe Biden leads Senator Bernie Sanders by a margin of 1,201 delegates to 896.
The general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can contact your local board of elections office to find out where your polling location is.
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