As Nov. 3 approaches, Americans should remember that the right to vote was not freely given to everyone. Ordinary citizens demanded, defended, and secured it through the courage to risk their livelihoods, their freedom, and their lives so their voices would count.
October marks the 63rd anniversary of Mississippi’s Freedom Vote, the historic 1963 civil rights initiative that challenged the systematic exclusion of Black citizens from the electoral process. At a time when discriminatory registration requirements, intimidation, and violence prevented countless African Americans from voting, organizers created an alternative election to demonstrate that Black Mississippians wanted— and deserved— a voice in their government. More than 80,000 people participated, sending a powerful message to the nation.
The campaign emerged from the same struggle for equality that defined Medgar Evers’s work as Mississippi NAACP field secretary, who devoted his life to civil rights and voter registration. Evers understood that political participation was essential to challenging discrimination and holding public officials accountable. On June 12, 1963, he was assassinated outside his Jackson home, a devastating reminder of the dangers faced by those demanding equal rights. His work, however, did not end with his death.
The Freedom Vote featured Aaron Henry, a Black pharmacist and civil rights leader who ran for governor, with white minister Edwin King as his running mate. Their campaign challenged Mississippi’s political establishment and helped lay the groundwork for subsequent efforts to secure fair representation. They demonstrated that democracy cannot fulfill its promise when an entire segment of the population is shut out.
Today, that history resonates in Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, where Scott Colom, a Black Democrat, is seeking a seat in a state where no Black Mississippian has served in the Senate since Reconstruction. His candidacy unfolds against a history of generations fighting to overcome barriers to political participation. The circumstances differ from those of 1963, but the fundamental principle remains: every eligible citizen deserves the opportunity to choose who represents them.
Voting remains one of the most direct ways citizens can help shape public policy, select representatives, and influence decisions affecting their families and communities. Elections determine who exercises public authority and which priorities receive attention. A ballot cannot guarantee every concern will be addressed, but not voting means giving up your chance to have a say.
As Nov. 3 approaches, make a plan. Confirm your registration, learn the voting rules where you live, review the candidates and issues, and determine when and where you can cast your ballot. If early voting or mail voting is available, consider those options.
The men and women who participated in Mississippi’s Freedom Vote understood that democracy requires participation. Honor their legacy. Exercise your right. Make your voice count. Vote on or before Nov. 3.
