AMARAH GHORI
Assistant Opinion Editor
College is all about shaping your future, and registering to vote is a powerful way to make sure you have a say in what the future looks like — both on and off campus.
If there was any time to exercise your right to vote, now would be the time, because this upcoming presidential election in November is going to be one for the books.
According to Abigail Jefferys, a student working for the American Democracy Project (ADP) on campus who will be helping students register to vote, “It’s crucial that we participate in our country/state’s elections so our voices are part of the conversation, and hopefully we’ll be the voices leading the conversations.”
Jefferys reminds us that our impact in voting will affect what defines our future, especially in terms of tuition, housing, healthcare, climate change and all of the other policies that affect young people. Students are specifically impacted, since these young people will be going into the workforce and their livelihood will be determined in part by the state of the economy.
Dr. Nancy Boynton from the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters (LWV) also emphasizes the importance of voting, saying, “Politicians tend not to pay a lot of attention to young people as compared to senior citizens since a higher percentage of senior citizens vote. Young people need to vote in higher numbers so that their issues will be paid attention to.”
According to census.gov, for the 2020 presidential election, voter turnout was the highest for ages 65 to 74 at 76%. The lowest was for 18 to 24 year olds at 51.4%.
Boynton has voted in every national election since 1972. She believes in the power of voting, as it’s our civic responsibility and it ensures that our concerns, such as college tuition, funding for programs and student loan issues, are addressed.
How can you register to vote, you may ask?
Registering to vote is a lot simpler than you might think. You can register with either your home address or your college address; this will all just depend on where you would like to vote.
The deadline to register for New York State is Oct. 26. This means that you can register in person or online by that date, but if you’re registering by mail, your registration needs to be received by the state by Oct. 26.
Although New York State allows online voter registration, Fredonia has many on-campus voter registration drives happening this month to make sure you’re ready for this upcoming election.
ADP will be hosting these events, which offer a quick and easy way to guide students through registering.
Here are the dates of the registration drives and where they’re located on campus:
Sept. 17 (National Voter Registration Day): Outside Cranston Marché
Sept. 18 (Constitution Day): Table outside Williams Center S204-DE
Sept. 26: Table in McEwen Hall
Sept. 30 (ERA Panel): Table outside Williams Center S204-AB
Where you can vote:
Once you’re registered, there are a few different ways you can vote in November.
There’s the absentee ballot, which you can send to your hometown. Absentee voters will be voting before Nov. 5 (see dates above).
There’s early voting (in person) and there’s voting on the actual election day. If you’d like to look into early voting near Fredonia, follow this link: https://chqgov.com/board-of-elections/Early-Voting-Information
ADP will be hosting a panel on the 2024 presidential election as well as on misinformation on Oct. 23 from 3-4 p.m. This is a great opportunity to attend and get informed on these important conversations.
Voting is the best way to ensure that the decisions you care about are addressed. As Jefferys points out, “We are the next generation; our next leaders are walking alongside us right now in the hallways.”
