The David T. Kearns Center hosted a voter registration event on Thursday, Oct. 24 in partnership with the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) to help students check their voter registration, and where they were eligible to vote. During the two-hour window, about 25 students attended.
A resource hub for first-generation and low-income students, the center typically hosts a first-generation student celebration week at the start of November, said George McCormick, manager for the Ronald E. McNair program, which works specifically with first-generation and minority students intending to pursue a Ph.D. In McCormick’s six years working at the center, this is the first time the center has hosted a voter registration event. With this year being an election year, they felt that they “needed to respond to the intensity of the time,” he said.
With a mix of local and out-of-state students, many students are unclear on where they are eligible to vote, McCormick said. The event provided direct guidance to students in the midst of an election season, where students — many of whom are first-time voters — are continually called to cast their ballot but not equipped with the knowledge on the process to do so.
Staffers at the event from the Office of Community Engagement were trained by Monroe County on working the TurboVote website, a non-partisan 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, that provides up-to-date voting guidance.
The center is open to hosting voter registration events in future years, although getting turnout for local elections may be tougher, McCormick said. The event was structured to draw out first-generation students and minority students aligned with the center. Hosting larger events in the future may be better for visibility and representation, said CCE Associate Director of Community Engaged Learning Andrew Gold.
