The Missouri City (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and the NAACP Houston Branch streamed the Sept. 10 ABC News presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump live to a room of nearly 500 people, ranging from college students to retirees, at The Ensemble Theatre.

Jarmese Morris, president of the Missouri City chapter of The Links, helped organize the event.

“Our goal today was to be able to elevate national issues that affect all of us,” Morris said. “This gave us an opportunity to [do so] in a nonpartisan way and have the community come together and listen to both candidates so they can make an informed choice on Nov. 5.”

This event was a first for Morris and the Missouri City Links, and it coincided with tropical storm Francine as it neared the coast of Texas and Louisiana.

“I think [the watch party] went very well,” Morris said. “We were very nervous about it, and even more nervous because of the weather.”

Democrat Josie Gibson, 68, left the watch party “100% sure” of her vote for Harris in November.

“I love that neither David Muir, nor Rachel Scott, [the moderators], had to [fact check] Kamala Harris,” Gibson said. “But, they called out Donald Trump several times [for] misinformation, so it really gave me a lot of hope. He’s still selling the same old thing, [and] he was still radical, but he was put down [by the moderators].”

For Gibson, women’s rights was the most important issue of the election and the strongest point of the Harris campaign, while healthcare was the weakest.

“We don’t have a right to tell a man what to do, and [neither men nor] the government should have a right to tell us what to do with our lives,” Gibson said. “I am a retired teacher, so I really need healthcare to really work for me.”

Grambling State University alumnus Sherlyn Jefferson, 69, echoed Gibson’s support for Harris following the debate.

“We need a change,” Jefferson said. “[The biggest issue is] the rights of all nationalities, especially Black people, because like my shirt says, we don’t want to go back.”

After the debate viewing, Morris affirmed her support for similar events in the future.

“We were very pleased to see so many people come out to learn more about the candidates and issues [in this election], so they can also go out,share that information and encourage and motivate others to get involved,” Morris said. “[This] definitely is something we’d like to do in the future because we have been, and we continue, to be involved in voter registration and [encouraging] people to get to the polls.”

Despite the Links’ efforts, less than half of registered voters voted in the last midterm election. In 2022, voter turnout in Harris County was about 42.92% and trailed behind the national turnout of around 46% while voter turnout in Fort Bend County was slightly higher, at about 47.94%.

“There have been a lot of people who have asked, ‘What difference does it make?’” Morris said. “One of our biggest challenges is being able to communicate and inform potential voters on why it’s important and why their one vote counts. It’s important for them to understand that over time [voting] makes a big difference.”

According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, the national turnout for voters under 30 in the 2022 elections was about 23%, with Texas slightly below at about 21.5%.

“We were very excited to see so many students [attend the watch party], because that was one of our other goals,” Morris said. “We’re very interested in motivating teens who are 17 [and] 18 to get them registered to vote, let them know that they have that opportunity [and] encourage them to be a part of that process.”

Follow the Missouri City Links @mcclinksinc and the Houston NAACP @naacp_hou on Instagram to stay up to date on future events like the watch party.