In response to the low young voter turnout in the 2016 election, Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz is launching a new campaign this fall, Hofstra Votes, which aims to inspire college students to participate and engage in the democratic process.
“The power to change policy is within your grasp, even now,” Rabinowitz said in an official statement on the campaign’s website.
Hofstra Votes already has a packed schedule of speakers and academic panels planned for the fall 2018 semester. Events include discussion on taxes, the Supreme Court, trade wars, the economy, the Constitution, immigration and important issues plaguing Long Island and New York. There will also be voter and absentee ballot registration as well as voting machine demonstrations prior to Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
“On some of these days, we will be supported by both the Nassau County League of Women Voters and by the New York State Board of Elections (BOE). The BOE will have a voting demonstration available so that students can experience what it’s like to vote before they may actually do so,” said Abby Normandin, Student Government Association (SGA) president and a senior public policy and global studies major.
“An essential part of our mission as an educational institution is inspiring students to be active participants in the democratic process and providing opportunities to learn about policy, politics and the issues that define the public discourse,” Rabinowitz said.
The University kicked off this new campaign during the Aug. 29 New York Democratic Gubernatorial debate between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon.
“That’s what a debate more than anything proves … that people who get to put their hands on the democratic process, who get to participate in some way, they are the most highly engaged,” said Melissa Connolly, vice president of University Relations.
“That’s one of the reasons we have loved bringing debates to campus is because it gets thousands of people directly engaged,” Connolly said.
The campaign website provides students easy access to online voter registration, a schedule of events and further information about absentee ballot deadlines. Students are given the opportunity to register at their home address or University address. Hofstra Votes will continue promoting civic engagement following the November election, working to involve students in local politics.
“The fact is that local elections make a bigger difference in your life much more than the federal stuff. The federal stuff is big in theme, but what affects you every day is how that traffic light out there works and how the road works and if the water makes it into your house this morning,” Connolly said.
The idea behind Hofstra Votes is to relate world issues to different majors and schools at Hofstra, extending the political urgency to include those beyond the political science department.
“We already have a pretty active cultural center calendar and a lot of that stuff touches on issues in any given year,” Connolly said. “You try to engage as many disciplines as you can so we are looking at the environment, immigration, foreign policy, peace and war policies, military policies. We are looking at how politicians themselves in the elections work. You try to do it from a bunch of different angles.”
“Census projections show that young people between the ages of 18 and 35 will overtake Baby Boomers as the largest living adult population in the United States by 2019,” Rabinowitz said in a message on the campaign’s website. “Yet their turnout in the 2016 election was the lowest of any age group.”
“I think the Hofstra Votes program is a great way to get college-aged citizens, particularly members of the Hofstra community, interested in voting, or at the very least have the knowledge and the possibility to register to vote,” said Adam Brownstein, a junior journalism and television production major.
Miranda Pino, a junior history, public policy and public service major hopes that Hofstra Votes expands to include student political organizations as well. As Vice President for Democrats of Hofstra and a New York Democratic Party fellow, Pino is passionate about educating young voters.
“I find it odd that they did not reach out to any of the political organizations on campus seeing as we are doing the same thing and ultimately our goals in this venture are the same, to increase voter engagement among college students,” Pino said.
“I hope the result of this campaign will see more students wanting to make a difference in their own communities,” Brownstein said. “Whether it be voting for a candidate they think is best, running for public office themselves, volunteering for campaigns, volunteering in their communities in general … there’s a lot of potential among a lot of these students and I hope this can be one of many steps to obtain said potential.”
“After the primary this September, it is very important that work toward engaging young voters does not stop. It became obvious in 2016 that we cannot underestimate the power of voting,” Pino said. “So if you’re eligible, no matter your beliefs, please register.”
