Election Day Campus Engagement

I was so excited to be voting in my first election, but I realized that I would have to vote absentee because I am living away from home. A few weeks before the election I sent my ballot in, and realized that November 6 would be a very anticlimactic day for me. I would not be voting, and I would not receive an “I Voted” sticker. Fortunately however, because class was canceled I got to volunteer at the polls. I have been doing service-learning work with VOX throughout the semester, specifically encouraging people to vote No on Amendment 6.

Election day was a little different than what normally happens when people volunteer to work for the No On 6 Campaign. I was stationed at the arena on campus and was first asked to hand out literature to voters on the dangers about Amendment 6. The line to vote on campus was hours long, and students who wanted to vote waited for hours and hours in order to vote.

I walked up and down the line many time handing out pamphlets and answering questions about the amendment.

Voters waited patiently to vote in the heat, and became restless and uncomfortable. There was a DJ on site playing music to excite voters and keep them entertained. We knew that these voters needed to be excited so we grabbed some posters and began dancing to enthuse bored voters.

It was really fun and I felt that we were making a difference and encouraging students to keep voting was really important. I was really impressed by all of the students who voted, and chose to stay in hour-long lines to choose the next President of the United States.

Even though I did not get to vote on Election Day, I still feel like I made a difference. Keeping young voters informed and excited was a key part in this election and it made all the difference, and No On 6 was a success!