Voter activists in Georgia want to ensure that all eligible black college students cast their ballots in this year’s presidential election. They are holding voter registration drives on HBCU campuses across the state on Tuesday in honor of National Voter Registration Day.

In Atlanta, the Georgia Stand-Up voter initiative is holding a registration drive at Clark Atlanta University on Tuesday. The Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections will register students to vote at Morehouse College and Spelman College the same day.

The votes of black youth in Georgia play a crucial role in every election cycle, voter activists say, but this year their impact will be even greater.

An estimated 41 million young people will turn 18 this year and be eligible to vote for the first time in their lives. Almost half of them (47%) are young voters of color.

Some live in Georgia, where the last presidential election was decided by fewer than 12,000 votes. Among them are a number of black college students enrolled at HBCUs across the state, where voter activists are working to maximize turnout among young voters ahead of Election Day.

“Their demographic can be critical in influencing important elections because they often represent a large, highly motivated and civically engaged voting bloc,” Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “If we can successfully engage black college students, we can gain access to an enthusiastic network of influencers who can advocate for them through social media and campus activism.”

The Georgia NAACP is one of several organizations participating in the registration drive. Griggs met with Black Voters Matter organizers at Fort Valley State University on Tuesday morning during the latest installment of the group’s annual Black Youth Renaissance Tour.

Further stops are planned on the journey across Georgia: on Wednesday at Albany State University, on Thursday at Cross Keys High School and First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta, and on Friday at Savannah State University, according to a press release.

If you are unable to participate in any of the activities taking place this week, you can register to vote in person at your local election office or submit an application online or by mail.

What are the requirements to register to vote in Georgia?

If you are not already registered, you must meet the basic requirements in the state of Georgia.

You must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Georgia. Georgia residents who are 17 years old can register to vote if their 18th birthday is at least six months before Election Day.

You must register to vote in the county that is listed as your primary address on your ID card. For example, if the address on your ID card is in Fulton County, you must register to vote in Fulton.

In the state of Georgia, people convicted of a serious crime can vote provided they have completed their sentence, completed probation, and paid any required fines.

Why are voter registration efforts so important in Atlanta?

Black voting enthusiasm in Georgia skyrocketed after Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. The number of registered black women rose 75 percent between July 21 and August 13, according to an analysis of the state’s most recent voter registration data by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Harris’s poll numbers have stabilized since July, but enthusiasm among young black voters in Georgia remains high, said Ida Gary, chief organizer of Black Voters Matter in Georgia.

According to Gary, more than 300 students attended the presidential debate watch party at Fort Valley State University last week hosted by the voter participation group co-founded by LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright.

“We had to turn away students because there was no seating for them,” Gary told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “(Young black voters) are more engaged than ever,” she added.

In Georgia, October 7 is the deadline to register to vote in November (applications submitted by mail must be postmarked by the above date). Early voting begins October 15 and ends November 1. Polls open at 7 a.m. on November 5 and close at 7 p.m.

Voter registration activists are urging Georgians to vote in person early to ensure they have time to correct any problems that may arise before Election Day.