Middlesex College Hosts Celebrating the Vote Event
The event connected students to information on voter registration, history, and barriers ahead of the upcoming New Jersey election on November 4.
On October 8, Middlesex College hosted Turn Up the Vote: Celebrating the Vote, Remembering the Fight, and Reflecting on What’s Next. The goal of the event was to help students get better informed about voting rights and history, as well as ensuring they are registered to vote ahead of the upcoming November election. The event invited those interested to learn about the history of voting as well as discuss contemporary challenges.
Various student organizations including the Political Science Club, Black Student Union, and Student Law Association, as well as the New Brunswick NAACP, were in attendance to provide participants with information and resources.
“The vote is a powerful civic tool,” said Sara Hosbach, an EngageCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) representative serving Middlesex College. “This event is important because it acknowledges the hard work and great strides that have been taken to provide us our vote, while initiating conversations about modern-day practices.”
Participants had the opportunity to view different suffrage timeline tables – each dedicated to a distinct time period or subject in voting history. The tables offered student-run activities such as poster-making, trivia, and more. Topics included the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Hispanic voting rights, Asian American voting rights, Indigenous voting rights, and voting age.
“Participating in our democracy keeps it strong, keeps it relevant, keeps it free from tyranny and autocracy,” said Patricia Payne, professor of constitutional law at Middlesex College. “Voting is a critical way that citizens can participate in government, and exercise their constitutional rights and power in our republic. Many people throughout history fought hard for the right to vote, and a voter should never give away their power to make a difference and have their voices heard.”
The event also offered easily accessible QR codes for students to check if they are registered to vote, with the ability to register or pledge to vote if they have not already. By registering or pledging to vote, each student was counted toward the Middlesex College Ballot Bowl numbers, a statewide competition to encourage voter registration and participation among students. Last Fall, Middlesex College registered over 400 students to vote and earned the title of most engaged campus for college student voting in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
