No One Is Giving Us The Ballot: Congressman Bobby Scott Fires Up Hampton Graduates

Congressman Bobby Scott used Hampton University’s 2026 commencement ceremony to deliver a message centered on voting rights, civic participation, and public education as graduates prepared to leave campus during a tense political climate.

Speaking Friday inside Hampton Coliseum, Scott urged graduates to stay involved in elections beyond presidential races. According to Hampton University, nearly 890 graduates participated in this year’s commencement ceremony.

Scott, who represents Virginia’s Third Congressional District, has spent decades working on education and labor policy in Congress while representing a district that includes Hampton University and Norfolk State University, two historically Black institutions with deep ties to civil rights organizing.

During his address, Scott warned graduates against treating voting protections as permanent guarantees. “No one is going to give us the ballot; we have to fight for it,” he told the crowd while discussing the long struggle over voting access in the United States.

Several portions of the speech focused on recent legal and political developments tied to education policy, redistricting, and federal oversight. Scott criticized Republican backed efforts to weaken the Department of Education and questioned recent Supreme Court rulings involving representation and voting rights.

At one point, Scott told graduates several court decisions ranked among the worst in modern American history, drawing applause from sections of the audience gathered inside the arena.

His remarks arrived during continuing national debate surrounding race, public education, and election access. Multiple states have recently approved changes involving voting procedures, district maps, diversity programs, and higher education funding, placing historically Black colleges inside broader political debates.

Scott also encouraged graduates to pay closer attention to local elections affecting schools, transportation, housing, and economic opportunities within their communities. He argued many voters place too much focus on presidential races while overlooking offices that shape daily life more directly.

Graduates, faculty members, and relatives filled Hampton Coliseum throughout the ceremony as university officials celebrated students entering careers in law, medicine, education, business, technology, and public service.

School leaders recently announced expanded civic participation efforts on campus, including plans for an on site voting precinct designed to improve student voter access during future elections.

For Scott, voting represented more than political participation alone. He framed civic engagement as part of a broader responsibility tied to protecting representation, educational opportunity, and future access for generations that follow.