With West Virginia early voting in full swing, one community organization is looking to bring more voters to the Kanawha County polls.
The Black Voters Impact Initiative (BVII) is a West Virginia organization that aims to “empower Black and marginalized community members to be civically engaged, inside and outside of the voting booth,” according to its website. The BVII is hosting “Stroll to the Polls” events at noon on Saturday Oct. 26 and Saturday Nov. 2.
During these events, BVII invites registered voters to meet on the Kanawha County Courthouse steps in Charleston and stroll over to the nearby polling precinct to cast their votes ahead of Election Day.
Shaniqua Smith, a founding co-collaborator of BVII, said the event aims to increase voter turnout.
“We think this is just a good way for us, just to get together, encourage each other, make it fun, and also make sure we get out and vote,” Smith said.
Stroll to the Polls is a nationwide effort ahead of the November general election, with members of Black sororities and fraternities across the country organizing voter turnout events.
Early voting continues weekdays and Saturdays through Nov. 2 at locations throughout the state. Voters should bring an identifying document and check the Secretary of State’s voter dashboard, govotewv.com, for more information.