Why aren’t all students exercising their right to vote? With the 2024 Presidential Election right around the corner, SUNY Brockport is tackling this issue with a range of initiatives aimed at getting students to the polls this November.
The program is managed by the SUNY Brockport Student Union, Leadership, and Activities Department (SULA), with Melissa Szurgyi as the Coordinator of Community Service & Civic Engagement.
“I think the first and most important thing for students to know is why it is so crucial for them to vote,” said Szurgyi. “Sometimes folks feel that their vote does not matter as they’re only one person in a large population, but the problem is that when too many people feel that way, we see low voter turnout. We have seen many elections over the years wherein a candidate won by a very slim margin, and it easily could have gone the other way if just one more sliver of the population had turned out to vote.”
With all of that in mind, Szurgyi has been urging for students to register to vote since the week of move-in.
“With this year being an election season and many students voting for the first time, we decided it was important to distribute postcards explaining exactly how students could vote if they were eligible to do so,” said Szurgyi.
These postcards contained information about voter registration deadlines, how to register to vote, and the date of the election. If students didn’t receive a postcard during move-in, they can still reach out to their RA who has had special training about the election and can point you in the right direction.
For students looking to get more involved in the election, Rebecca Lemus and the SULA Civic Engagement team are hosting several non-partisan pop-up tables in the Seymour Union leading up to the election, along with popping into classrooms to make sure every student is election ready.
“We will also be holding multiple voting events, including National Voter Registration Day, the Naturalization Ceremony, and Constitution Day, all taking place on September 17. Other events taking place on campus are National Voter Education Week from October 7-11 and National Vote Early Day on October 29,” said Lemus.
If students want to get more information on these events going on they can check out their MyBrockport or reach out to the SULA Instagram page. With all the events going on around campus, it is also important to understand how and where to vote when the day comes.
“The SERC serves as the polling place for any students registered to vote on-campus. For those students who are not registered to vote in this area, they can vote by mail or by requesting an absentee ballot,” said Szurgyi.
Voting in college is a vital way for students to influence policies that not only impact their future but their peers’ future as well. Garret Stack, a sophomore at SUNY Brockport is a huge advocate for voting.
“This is my first time being able to vote in something that could shape my entire future, so I really appreciate that the school is promoting different ways to vote and sharing important information with students,” said Stack.
Whether you are eligible to vote this year or not, SUNY Brockport has many different outlets you can use to stay informed this election season.