A national effort is under way to boost voter registration among African-American men.

In Polk County, where there is a low percentage of Black male voters, one barber is doing something to increase those numbers.

At Second 2 None Barber Shop, no subject is off limits, and barber Antonio Powell has no problem weighing in.

Powell has been cutting hair and chatting it up for seven years. A couple of weeks ago, when a candidate came in to talk about the upcoming election, Powell said he would not be voting.

“I didn’t understand. I told them I’m not a voter,” he said. “I’m not registered to vote so they were trying to give me some knowledge on it.”

According to the Polk County Supervisor of Election’s Office, only four percent of voters in 2022 were Black men. Powell admits voting never came up much when he was growing up, so he never registered.

“I guess we’re not educated about it. We don’t know enough about something so we just assume our own stuff about it,” he said. “And I’m speaking on myself on that I never really had education on it. So when you learn about it and how much your vote matters, it makes a difference.”

The owner of the barber shop and customers in his chair helped convince Powell that his vote could help get things done in his community.

“I think a lot of people think it's very taxing on their time and those things, but it's not,” said barber shop owner Kenneth Davis. “It really comes down to what you want to do and what you want.”

The new election knowledge took Powell right out the front door of the barber shop and to the voter registration booth.

While he has not cast a ballot yet, he can’t wait to start doing his homework to find out about the election.

“Just trying to get involved in it so I can educate my kids on it. Take it to another level,” he said.

According to the Pew Research Center, seven in 10 African-Americans in the U.S. are eligible to vote. Most of those eligible voters are Black women.