{"id":103811,"date":"2024-09-17T14:39:03","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T18:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=103811"},"modified":"2024-09-23T16:45:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T20:45:54","slug":"umw-makes-voices-count-at-virginia-student-voting-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/09\/17\/umw-makes-voices-count-at-virginia-student-voting-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Makes Voices Count at Virginia Student Voting Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nearly
Nearly 100 students, administrators and community friends arrived at UMW’s Cedric Rucker University Center last week for the Virginia Student Voting Summit. The event provides an opportunity to compare notes about initiatives taking place on campuses across the commonwealth and re-energize the effort to get out the vote. Photo by Karen Pearlman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Elena Lizarraga of Springfield, Virginia, it was a volunteer stint working the polls in 2016. For Ai Vy Le, a college senior from Harrisonburg, it was walking five miles with her grandmother to cast her first vote.<\/p>\n

The question the students were answering \u2013 What was your first civic engagement experience? \u2013 was part of an icebreaker activity at the seventh annual nonpartisan Virginia Student Voting Summit, held last week at the University of Mary Washington. It\u2019s one of several experiences that led UMW to earn the All In Campus Democracy Challenge\u2019s \u201cHighly Established Action Plan Seal<\/a>\u201d for developing a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan for the 2024 election cycle.<\/p>\n

The daylong summit promotes civic dialogue and energizes voters, meeting students where they are in the voting process and sharing the information they need to make sure their voices are heard at the polls. Nearly 100 students, administrators and community friends from schools across the commonwealth gathered in the Cedric Rucker University Center\u2019s Chandler Ballroom to advance youth voting. Together, they worked to push public participation by comparing notes and exchanging ideas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings different perspectives,\u201d said Devin Van Dyke. The Campus Vote Project democracy fellow recently transferred to Radford University from Southwest Virginia Community College and drove six hours from his home in Tazewell to be part of an afternoon panel. \u201cStudents from different colleges are coming together to share how they make their initiatives work on their campuses.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Center for Community Engagement Director Sarah Dewees kicks off the Virginia Student Voting Summit in UMW’s Chandler Ballroom. With her onstage are members of UMW Votes (from left to right), Chiara Baez, Alexandra Schwartz, Melanie Billescas and Sarah Tyree-Herrmann. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"UMW <\/a>
UMW junior Jorrin Casa de Calvo (left), who earned a spot on the 2024 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll for his efforts to increase voter participation at Mary Washington speaks to Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Rosalyn Cooperman at last week’s Virginia Student Voting Summit. Photo by Kearen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div>
\"James <\/a>
James Madison University senior Ai Vy Le speaks to other Virginia Student Voting Summit attendees during an icebreaker. Le was also part of a student-panel keynote presentation. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Jessica <\/a>
Jessica Atkinson, general registrar for the City of Fredericksburg Office of Voter Registration and Elections speaks to a group during a breakout session at the Virginia Student Voting Summit. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Presented by UMW\u2019s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and the Fair Election Center\u2019s Campus Vote Project, the summit also drew representatives from Germanna Community College, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University and Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n

Members of UMW Votes \u2013 the student organization charged with educating Mary Washington students about such tasks as how to vote early, sign up for absentee ballots and get rides to the polls \u2013 served in various roles throughout the day. Earlier this year UMW Votes earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant<\/a> to rent a trolley to transport students to the polls on Election Day.<\/p>\n

\"UMW <\/a>
UMW alumna Kate McDaid ’23 (left), now regional organizing director for NextGen America, talks to participants at last week’s Virginia Student Voting Summit. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"UMW <\/a>
UMW Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jared McDonald talks about civic engagement during an icebreaker at last week’s Virginia Student Voting Summit. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Radford <\/a>
Radford University student Devin Van Dyke participates in an icebreaker at the Virginia Student Voting Summit. Van Dyke drove six hours from his home in Tazewell, Virginia, to attend the summit and speak during a student-panel keynote presentation. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"UMW <\/a>
UMW senior Kaylah Lightfoot, current president of the Mary Washington NAACP Chapter, presents a presentation titled ‘From the Desk to the Field’ during the Virginia Student Voting Summit. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

\u201cMy parents pushed me to believe that voting is important,\u201d said UMW junior Jorrin Casa de Calvo, who earned a spot on the 2024 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll<\/a> for his efforts to get out the vote, speaking to first-year students and various classes, tabling across campus and more. \u201cIf you don\u2019t vote, you\u2019re kind of going against the rights that people from the past fought for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representatives from such entities as the City of Fredericksburg Office of Voter Registration and Elections, UpVote Virginia and UMW Votes delivered presentations. Ice-breakers, table-top exercises and breakout sessions were followed by a keynote presentation by student panelists and the Civic Spirit Awards, with UMW taking the top spot. Mary Washington also earned gold status from the All In Campus Democracy Challenge<\/a> for its student turnout rate at the polls during both the 2020 presidential election (79 percent) and the 2022 midterm elections (43 percent).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all great news to CCE Director Sarah Dewees, who summed up the day: \u201cIt was great seeing so many students who are motivated to participate in our democratic process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Billy <\/a>
Billy McKeon, Civic Engagement Coordinator for VTEngage and the Student Activities Department at Virginia Tech, speaks during an icebreaker at the Virginia Student Voting Summit hosted at UMW last week. The event drew representatives from colleges across the commonwealth. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In addition to plenty of students and administrators from UMW, last week’s Virginia Student Voting Summit attracted participants from Germanna Community College, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, Virginia Tech and Radford University. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Nearly <\/a>
Nearly 100 participants turned out for the Virginia Student Voting Summit, which included tabling by such entities as the Fair Election Center, NextGen America and RevUp Virginia. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Here are some other ways to get involved in the democratic process:<\/em><\/p>\n