Students Promote Voter Registration
Political Science major Sarah Cirillo was among the winners of Art the Vote's summer competition. Her art, along with the competition’s other winners, promotes civic engagement through dynamic and multimedia art, which was displayed during the American Democracy Project's annual voter registration drive on Sept. 26.
Galloway, N.J. – Why are Stockton University students voting this year?
Students' answers to this question varied during Thursday, Sept. 26’s Voter Registration Drive, hosted by the American Democracy Project, an initiative tied to the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.
“Voting is a way to make your voice heard – while representative of only one person, you help choose the country’s direction,” one student wrote anonymously on the interactive “Why I’m Voting” table.
“There are a lot of people not voting this election season because they feel like their vote doesn’t count, and you could argue that it doesn’t because of the electoral college, but I still feel like we should get out and vote because we live in a democratic society,” said Bella Piper, a senior Political Science major, as she applied for a mail-in ballot.
Every year, the project hosts a drive where they assist students in registering to vote, checking their registration status and applying for a mail-in ballot before the Oct. 15 deadline. In addition, the Atlantic County Superintendent of Elections office brought a voting booth to campus so students could see what to expect when it’s time to vote in November.
The project seeks to meet students where they are and help them successfully vote in the upcoming election.
“During the day to day, everyone has something on their minds that they have to do that day, like ‘I need to take care of this task’ or ‘I need to register to vote,’ and then it pops out of your head,” said Claire Abernathy, associate professor of Political Science and a member of the project.
"We’ve had so many students come up to us with questions like ‘How do I know if I’m registered already?’ or ‘I know I’m registered to vote, but I can’t get home to vote, so how do I care of that?’ We know that people want to vote, and this helps us answer some of those hurdles for them to get out there and vote this fall.”
Piper was one of those students. She lives in Toms River, about an hour away from campus.
“I didn’t know if I was going to have to drive all the way up to Ocean County and wait in line to go vote, which can take several hours, so it’s better to just get a mail-in ballot mailed straight to me,” Piper said. “I’m excited to vote since it will be my first time voting.”
When students weren’t receiving information about or resources for voting, they viewed the art displayed by the nonpartisan community organization Art the Vote (ATV). The group hosted a competition this summer and Political Science major Sarah Cirillo’s submission was selected as part of the exhibit. Her art, along with the competition’s other winners, promotes civic engagement through dynamic and multimedia art.
“I hope to convey the direct impact that the public has on democracy and how our voices do make a difference,” said Cirillo of Bedminster. “When the voices of this generation see this work, I want them to feel empowered and like their voice can really influence the world around them.”
A 2020 report by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement on student voting rates shows Stockton is a leader in student voter registration and election participation. In the 2020 election, 86% of all Stockton students were registered to vote, compared with 74% nationally.
Art The Vote is a nonpartisan “Get Out The Vote” initiative created to engage young people in the election process. It features a national challenge for young artists ages 17–29 to design art cards and stickers that make art a force for civic engagement. Organized by artists and young activists in collaboration with Energizing Young Voters and Vote by Design, ATV works to motivate and mobilize young people to register and vote.
The ATV exhibit is co-sponsored by the American Democracy Project, the School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, the School of Arts & Humanities and the Visual Arts program.
– Story by Loukaia Taylor
– Photos by Lizzie Nealis
Constitution Day Speaker Explores Voting Rights
September 25, 2024
Galloway, N.J. — The United States Constitution does not guarantee individuals the right to vote. That came as a surprise to the crowd at the 19th annual Constitution Day lecture Tuesday in the Campus Center Event Room.
Holding one of the pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution distributed to all attendees, election law expert Richard L. Hasen challenged anyone to show him where the Constitution gives Americans voting rights.
“Where we live tells us a big part of how protected our right to vote is. There is no affirmative right to vote in the Constitution,” Hasen said, noting America’s founders made voting a states’ right.
Hasen delivered the annual keynote address based on his book “A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy.” Hasen is the Gary T. Schwartz Endowed Chair in Law, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law. He also writes the Election Law Blog, which tracks current developments in voting rights and access around the country.
“As an institution of higher education, it is our responsibility to provide the setting for democratic participation; to offer opportunities for our students and our community to converse with those with differing viewpoints and life experiences,” Stockton President Joe Bertolino said in introducing Hasen. “The Stockton community is one that values inclusivity, providing an environment where all voices can be heard.”
--Story by Stacey Clapp
--Photos by Lizzie Nealis
Students Drive Peers to Get Out and Vote
October 6, 2022
For my family.
It’ll be my first time voting!
This is the way to make your voice heard.
In red, white and blue, reasons why Stockton students vote decorated the F Wing Atrium as students in the “Stockton Votes” first-year seminar encouraged peers to check their voter registration status ahead of November’s midterm election.
Joseph Nasr, a Computer Science major in the class, thinks it’s important for students to “really think about who we’re going to vote for, why we are voting for them and the consequences of voting for them.” The Toms River resident recently turned 18 and is eager to vote in his first election, which is part of the reason he took this course.
Associate Professor of Political Science and American Politics Claire Abernathy teaches the first-year seminar and explained it’s important to have students involved in these efforts because their outreach resonates more with their peers.
Reported by Eliza Hunt
Photos by Frankie Martinelli-Noble
