Voter registration drives targeting college students and underrepresented minorities (URM) have been taking place on campus in the final weeks of the election season.
The Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) organized a voting drive in the Milton S. Eisenhower (MSE) Library on Friday, Sept. 30. Volunteers from BFSA and the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) were available to answer questions and help potential voters register in Maryland.
Frank Williams and Treva Boney, who are both members of BFSA and work for CTY, helped with registration.
For Boney, voting is directly linked to inclusivity. She began organizing voter registration drives so that all groups can make their voices heard.
“Being African American, I was 11 years old when they finally passed the Voting Rights Act,” Boney said. “I wanted to make sure that everyone had an opportunity to register to vote for the choice of their candidate, so I started this campaign.”
Boney has participated in or organized five different voting drives.
“I’ve done several [campaigns] in religious institutions,” she said. “I’ve done one on the street corner, I’ve done one visit to the home of people that I knew weren’t registered to vote. So I was out here really campaigning to make sure that people registered to vote, because it’s important.”
She believes it is essential everyone has theopportunity to vote since it directly impacts our future.
“It’s going to impact the lives of everyone, from the unborn up to the senior citizens,” she said. “It’s important that we cast a vote that we think will benefit the nation.”
Members of politically-focused student groups on campus agreed that voting was critical.
Senior Cynthia Hadler, president of the Hopkins College Democrats, emphasized the importance of voting, especially for college students.
“Aside from the fact that voting is a civic duty, higher voter turnout generally means more moderates or politically unaffiliated individuals are voting which helps to elect more moderate candidates who are more likely to compromise on issues,” Hadler wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “I think it is crucial for young people to get involved in the political process. Our age group generally [has] the lowest voter turnout. This impacts how politicians decide policy. When young people don’t vote, our voices and causes aren’t considered because we aren’t significant constituents for the politicians.”
Liam Haviv, founder and president of IDEAL at JHU, echoed Hadler’s sentiments, highlighting voter participation as a critical component for democratic institutions.
“I think voting is absolutely crucial. Republics are dependent on the belief that we have the power to effectively change something,” Haviv wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “The American republic is an institution that relies on our participation.”
Haviv stressed that it is important for current college students to participate in politics.
“Our generation, in general, is notoriously resistant of institutions and also [does] not have a specifically good record of voter turnout,” he wrote. “This year will be the first year that millennial voters will outnumber the baby boomers. Our voice holds a lot of weight, and thus it is crucial that we [exercise] that voice.”
Some students were enthusiastic about the prospect of registering and voting in the November election, while others were more ambivalent.
Freshman Anthony Boutros registered to vote as soon as possible. He went to the DMV on his birthday to register to vote.
“I wanted to make sure that I would be able to vote in the Texas primary,” Boutros said.
Freshman Laurent Park, on the other hand, had not yet registered to vote. He expressed hesitation about registering because he wanted to make his vote count.
“I’m wondering whether or not I should fill out an absentee form or whether I should just vote here in Maryland, because I’m from California,” Park said. “I don’t know where my vote would matter more.”
Although he wanted to put his vote where it would matter most, Park mentioned that he does not yet fully appreciate the opportunity to vote.
“I don’t think that I fully appreciate [voting] yet because I just turned the legal age to vote,” he said. “Once I get older, I feel like I’ll start appreciating the right more.”
For those who missed the opportunity to register to vote, more student groups on campus are conducting registration initiatives.
IDEAL will be holding a voter registration drive on Oct. 13, and an absentee ballot send-off day on Nov. 1.
The Hopkins Democrats, IAC and the College Republicans will host voter registration drives Thursday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m in Mattin.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.