Southern University's famed Human Jukebox marching band will lead students and community members on a second line straight to Baton Rouge City Hall, turning the final stretch of early voting into a brass-band procession through downtown. More than 100 Southern University students are expected to be bussed to downtown Baton Rouge for the march, which organizers are calling Second Line to the Polls.
According to WBRZ, the event was organized by Jaden York, a Southern University political science senior who put together the voting rally to connect students with the polls. The Human Jukebox will kick off the second line at 2 p.m. at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum on South River Road, according to WAFB, with the march running through 4 p.m. The route continues south along River Road, through Repentance Park past the Old State Capitol, and across Rhorer Plaza before finishing at Baton Rouge City Hall, per the same report.
Who Can Join Without a Bus
Students from LSU, Baton Rouge Community College and members of the East Baton Rouge community do not need to catch a bus to take part — they can simply meet marchers at the starting point near the museum, WAFB reports. Organizers are asking everyone who plans to vote to bring identification. The event is presented by Jaden York and Partners in partnership with Southern University's Student Government Association, along with other civic and Greek-letter organizations, according to the station's report.
Once the march reaches City Hall, participants will be able to go inside and cast their ballots. Afterward, a voter's rally is planned in Rhorer Plaza behind City Hall, featuring Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards, Councilman Darryl Hurst and Congressman Cleo Fields, per WBRZ's reporting.
A Celebrity Guest Joins the Program
The program also includes celebrity guest Meagan Good, an actor known for roles in Roll Bounce, Stomp the Yard, Think Like a Man and Tyler Perry's Divorce in the Black, and who currently stars in the new season of Reasonable Doubt, according to WBRZ. York told the station he takes pride in Southern University's traditions and wanted to give back by helping students access voting resources.
Early Voting Winds Down Statewide
The second line falls on the final stretch of Louisiana's early voting period ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election. WAFB's earlier coverage states early voting runs through Tuesday, Oct. 27, excluding Sunday, Oct. 25, and Axios reports that Tuesday, Oct. 27, was the last day to vote early; Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Louisiana voters will also face 10 constitutional amendments on the November ballot, according to WAFB's report.
Turnout heading into the final days has been strong. More than 363,000 people had already cast ballots in Louisiana's midterm election through the preceding Sunday, Axios reports, with early voting up more than 39% compared with the same point in the last comparable midterm cycle, according to WGNO.com. Orleans Parish recorded 32,184 early voters and Jefferson Parish recorded 30,496, both already exceeding their respective 2022 totals, the same Axios report notes. By comparison, Louisiana saw 377,428 early voters during the entire 2022 midterm cycle, per the outlet's data. Axios also reports that Black voters made up a larger share of voters on the first day of early voting than in nearly all other elections over the past 18 years.
Second line marches to the polls have become a recurring tradition in Louisiana civic organizing. A similar event drew New Orleans voters on the lone Saturday of early voting this cycle, according to a listing from the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice.
