"Local elections are extremely important" in the lives of most residents, Cal U organizers say.
Cal U and the American Democracy Project will mark National Voter Registration Day with a voter registration drive from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 24 in the lobby areas of Manderino Library and the Natali Student Center.
Students, faculty and staff interested in helping with National Voter Registration Day should email Katie Yohe, yoh0589@calu.edu.
While this is an odd-year election in between midterms and the 2020 Presidential election, Dr. Melanie Blumberg, who directs the American Democracy Project at Cal U, pointed out the importance of each vote.
She cited a tweet used during a campaign from Jon Husted, lieutenant governor of Ohio: “When we say ‘one vote matters,’ it’s not just a saying – it has proven true 141 times in #Ohio over the last five years."
"Local elections are extremely important, as the decisions have a direct impact on most residents' lives," Blumberg said.
As he has done during previous Voter Registration Days, Dr. Bruce Barnhart, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, will ask faculty to set aside the first five minutes of class on Sept. 24 for students to register on their smart phones, iPads, and laptops. Faculty teaching online classes will also be asked to encourage their students to register.
Cal U’s efforts to engage student voters were recognized recently by The Washington Monthly, which lists the University on its honor roll of “Best 80 Colleges for Student Voting.”
The University also was named a Voter Friendly Campus for 2019-2020, one of 10 universities in the state to be recognized by the Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.