'Cast Your Vote': NAACP Helps Register People To Honor National Black Voters Day

DENVER (CBS4) - In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped to push forward the Voting Rights Act. Now 55 years later, several people around the Denver community are helping African Americans use their right to vote.

"Your right to vote is important," said NAACP Second Vice President Michael Reed. "It's an important part of the process. It's your responsibility in fact."

Michael Reed is on a mission to make sure everyone votes on Election Day on Nov. 3.

"You hear that a number of times and it's probably cliché, that this is the most important election of your life. It just so happens to be true this time," Reed said.

To celebrate National Black Voters Day on Friday, Michael, with NAACP's Denver branch, joined the Urban League and several other organizations at the Welton Street Café to get people registered to vote.

"We're looking to hit a 1,000 -- 1,000 new people either registered or updating their registration is an important thing also," Reed said.

On Saturday, Michael and several others took to the streets, going to homes, barbershops and even nursing homes. Later in the day, several people met at Denver's City Park at the MLK Statute to talk about the importance of voting.

"We were trying to go to a place where we found some people that aren't usually participating in the process. And then reaching out trying to find out where they are at and engaging them there," Reed said.

According to the U.S. Census, in the 2016 election only 154,820 African Americans voted in Colorado. That comes out to only 4% of total voters.

"We can talk about it. We can discuss things. We can rally. We can protest. We can do all that stuff in unity. But, the true way to change things is to go to the ballot box on Nov. 3 and cast your vote," Reed said.

If you haven't registered to vote, there still is time. You have until October 26th to register online and receiver a mail-in ballot. You can still go into your local polling place and register to vote on Election Day on November 3rd.