V-OTEC-O-MING 2026 Features Bolden, Party at the Polls with When We All Vote

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Oct. 20, 2026) – Former NASA Administrator, astronaut and retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. will speak at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University as part of the university’s V-OTEC-O-MING 2026 program Thursday, Oct. 22, with When We All Vote.

V-OTEC-O-MING 2026 will begin at 2 p.m. on University Circle on the Dudley Memorial Building lawn in front of the February One monument. N.C. A&T Chancellor James R. Martin II, along with university and student leaders, will speak before Bolden’s featured address.

The Blue and Gold Marching Machine Cold Steel drumline and drum majors will lead a march to the Union Square Campus polling site, 124 E. Gate City Blvd., about 2:45 p.m., followed by an activation and party until 6 p.m.

This event is part of When We All Vote’s Party at the Polls program, which is proven to increase turnout by 2 to 4 percentage points and is expanding nationwide amid threats of voter intimidation. 

When We All Vote is a national, nonpartisan initiative where young people — especially Black and Brown voters ages 18 to 34 — not only participate in our democracy, but shape it. Its mission is to increase participation in every election, close the race and age voting gaps, and change the culture around voting.

Bolden’s appearance is part of Astronauts For America’s (AFA) national “VOTE FOR FREEDOM” campus tour, which brings former NASA astronauts to college campuses to engage students in conversations about civic participation, public service and the importance of taking part in our democracy.

AFA is a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by more than 100 former NASA astronauts. Through the VOTE FOR FREEDOM initiative, the organization encourages young people to make their voices heard and participate in civic life.