Raising voter awareness

By BMCC Public Affairs Staff

At Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY), raising awareness of the right to vote is top of mind.

Staff and faculty are taping voter rights flyers to their office doors. Flyers announcing the October 26 voter registration deadline, the early voting period of October 26 to November 3, and the general election date of Tuesday, November 5, are stacked on counters in public areas. Video screens across campus invite students to become a Poll Worker. In response to students’ concerns about federal and state policies that impact the LGBTQIA community, Pride Month will present on October 21, Vote for Equality: A Roundtable on LGBTQ Advocacy and the 2024 Election.

BMCC Help America Vote Student Ambassadors organized and trained by Lisa O’Connor in the Office of Student Affairs have been stationed at tables across campus. They distribute information and engage passers-by in conversation about who is eligible to vote, how to register to vote in New York State and more.

Criminal justice major Melisha Robinson is a student ambassador working with O’Connor, as well as being part of the BMCC Civic Leadership Program led by BMCC Director of Government and Community Relations Doug Israel.

Robinson plans to graduate from BMCC in June 2025, then transfer to a four-year school to earn a double bachelor’s degree—political science and international relations—with a minor in economics.

“I want to become an attorney and work in politics,” she says. “Advocating for people’s rights aligns with who I am as a person. I have always spoken up for others who can’t speak for themselves.”

Voting is a way of being heard

Being a Help America Vote student ambassador enables Robinson to assist other students as they learn about the election process.

“I don’t want people to just follow what I believe, but to gather facts and make their own decision about what they believe,” she says.

As the clock ticks, leading to the November 5 presidential election, Robinson has been reflecting on why voting matters.

“I think it’s important for everyone to vote because being complacent is not helpful when a lot of people’s voices need to be heard,” she says.

“When our voices are not heard, the parties we want are not going to be elected. Right now, there’s a lot of hate, and some people are coercing others to vote a certain way. I don’t think you should pressure people—I think you should educate them about their right to vote, and to go with a candidate that aligns with their core beliefs.”

Elections bring up critical issues

This collective buzz around voting awareness at BMCC belies the fact that fewer college students voted in 2022 than in the 2018 midterms—going down from about 40% to 30%. There is concern about the rate of student voters for 2024, according to a Tufts University report referenced in a recent article in Inside Higher Ed.

“This November, many of our students will be voting for the very first time,” says Michael Hutmaker, dean of student affairs. “We’re aware that young voters do not always participate in elections, but we also know that many of our students care deeply about the upcoming election and how the outcome could affect them.”

Hutmaker adds that, “Health care, gun violence, reproductive rights and the climate crisis are just a few of the critical issues that directly affect our students and their communities in the 2024 presidential election.”

Students bring voter information back to their communities

“Registering to vote is the first step in building a healthy and responsive democracy,” says Doug Israel. “Voting on Election Day and then holding elected officials accountable are the next steps and the keys to shaping the future of this country.”

He adds that as students learn more about the democratic process, including the Federal Voting Rights Act, they share important facts with their families and communities.

“Here’s an example,” he says. “Some students are surprised to learn that they have the legal right to be assisted by an interpreter in the voting booth. You can bring someone to interpret for you in the booth, or you can request an interpreter in Arabic, Cantonese, Urdu and other languages.”

He stresses that everyone wants to feel that their needs and concerns matter and are heard.

“Exercising our right to vote gives us the opportunity to choose who represents us in government and makes our voices be heard in local, state and national decision-making. If you are a citizen of the United States and will be at least 18 years of age before the upcoming election, you are eligible to vote, and I strongly encourage you to do so.”

This article was originally posted here.

BMCC Public Affairs Staff

promotes the work of the Borough of Manhattan Community College, part of the City University of New York system.