On the eve of his midterm win Wes Moore and President Joe Biden urged people to vote

From left to right: President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden with Wes Moore, gubernatorial candidate, speaking at the Maryland Election Day Eve Rally. (Madison Korman/The Black Explosion)

People of all ages gathered at Bowie State University, for the Maryland Election Day Eve Rally.

This rally featured Maryland’s gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and President Joe Biden. The main focus was to encourage people to vote. 

Wes Moore emphasized his endeavors, should he become Maryland’s first black governor. 

“Every child will have access to a 21st century education,” Moore decreed. “When it comes to creating a safe haven for abortion access… Maryland will lead!”

Moore won the election the next day..

Moore promised free Pre-K for every child in Maryland and a service year option for all high school graduates. He made sure the crowd understood, “No one will be left behind!”

Biden also emphasized the importance of voting while touting his own accomplishments.

“With the help of your members of congress, I signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, to reduce the cost of everything Marylanders have to pay for every month,” Biden said.

Junior nursing major from Bowie State University, Sheqoya Moore, who attended the rally, felt voting was important.

“As a black woman, given the right from earlier generations, we should vote,” she stated.

Despite her belief that voting is important, due to work, she will not be voting in this election. 

She also felt candidates like Wes Moore could be doing more to gain support from young black constituents. When asked if students are given proper voting resources and information about polling locations and absentee options,she plainly stated, “they are not.”

Junior computer science major from Bowie State University Jaylen Smith, had differing opinions on the importance of voting and access to voting resources.

While Smith says there are many voting resources, he feels they become overshadowed by the parties trying to tear each other down. To Smith, this makes the resources they provide “less powerful.”

When asked if voting was important to him, he was very passionate about his stance. 

“Due to the recent election… I just feel like voting as a whole is a laughing stock in today’s society,” Smith said.

Smith mentioned he felt almost nothing positive has come out of Donald Trump or Joe Biden’s presidencies. He went on to say, “Gas prices have gone up, increasingly high…and it’s 75°F in November, climate change and global warming are on the rise.”

According to Smith, topics such as inflation and global warming are on the forefront of many college student’s minds. Therefore, the economic accomplishments boasted by Biden this evening, did not encourage him to vote. 

Smith stated, “A vote won’t matter to me until I actually see positive change and see something that will benefit my everyday life.”