A presidential election, a pandemic, and protests…oh my! The United States is at a major turning point in its history. More than ever, the American people have to advocate for our rights, values, needs, and expectations in order to shape our country into the nation that we deserve. In particular, our right to vote is the single most powerful tool that we can and must use to accomplish this. That is because civic justice is fundamental to social justice and economic justice.
However, in order for voting to truly be effective, it must be inclusive of and equitable for all populations, especially students. To address the low rates of voter registration and voter turnout among college students, the Center for Civic Justice at Stony Brook University collaborated with a group of institutions and organizations to organize the first ever New York Voter Engagement Summit for colleges and universities across New York state. SUNY Oswego, Binghamton University, Cornell University, the University of Rochester, the Andrew Goodman Foundation, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Democracy Works, and Campus Compact of NY & PA collaborated with the Center for this effort, and it was graciously supported by the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition and Young Invincibles.
On Friday, July 31, 2020, students, faculty members, and staff members from over 60 campuses came together to learn best practices and advance their work in voter engagement. The mission was to help colleges and universities develop civic engagement action plans to bring back to their campuses and mobilize their student populations in the months leading up to the 2020 election and beyond.
To be as intentional as possible with the content shared at the Summit, the program had a session explaining the current landscape of New York voter engagement, a panel on adapting voter engagement to the global pandemic, time for campuses to do action planning, sessions for institutions to learn specific content based on their unique campus needs, and breakouts for campuses to engage with other institutions in their region. For campuses newer to the space of voter engagement, there was also a Pre-Conference the day before the Summit that reviewed the basics of voter engagement, registration, and voting, as well as best practices in student voter engagement.
Beyond the content, the energy, enthusiasm, and the willingness to learn from each of the attendees was unparalleled. The organizers had another goal with the Summit: to form a network of individuals who are dedicated to this work so that they could all share resources and knowledge moving forward. By asking meaningful questions, participating in sessions, and initiating conversations with other attendees, the attendees started to form that network themselves.
While months of outreach, advocacy, and mobilization lay ahead, the Summit provided, if nothing else, a powerful and necessary reminder to the attendees: that there are others who share their belief in the importance of voter engagement and its ability to change society for the better. As a student myself, it was incredible to bear witness to the passion and drive that united individuals of all ages and backgrounds in pursuit of a common mission: to help students empower themselves through their right to vote.
This post was written by Peony Tse