Vote Oswego held tabling events Sept. 20 through 22 in honor of National Voter Registration Day in hopes to get students to register to vote and request absentee ballots.

Vote Oswego was designed to “help members of the Oswego community make an impact in all elections by stressing the importance of political participation no matter the political affiliation; making registration fun, easy, and secure; providing personalized support; and encouraging eligible voters to submit absentee ballots or go to the polls,” according to its website. 

Allison Rank, an associate professor and chair of the political science department, founded Vote Oswego in 2016 before the presidential election with two major goals in mind. 

“[I wanted] to help make sure the campus is ready for elections, so students knew how to get registered, how to request an absentee ballot and have a reliable place to go for information,” Rank said. “Students who take the Vote Oswego class who are interested in campaigns and elections have a chance to build some grassroots organizing skills doing work on campus before they actually go out and try to get jobs.”

The deadline to registr to vote in the midterm elections for New York State is Oct. 14 but Rank said the earlier you make a plan to vote, the more likely you are to “get your ducks in a row” before the cutoff. 

Kelsey Jones, program coordinator for civic engagement and community services, partnered with Vote Oswego for these events. According to Jones, SUNY Oswego signed a campus contract to get 100% of students registered to vote by 2024, and though it is “a long road to get there,” she is looking forward to the journey.

“A lot of SUNY Oswego faculty and staff stand behind issues and push students to register to vote,” Jones said. “Overall, it’s really just showing students  what active citizenry is and how they can be more active in their own community.”

According to Jones, Vote Oswego will hold more events throughout the semester leading up to election night on Nov. 8, including small table talks, a volleyball tournament and tabling for more “student to student contact.”

Vote Oswego will launch their “I vote because” campaign in partnership with student organizations on campus. Any club or organization can sign up to get a sign where they will write why they chose to vote. The signs will be in the quad leading up election day in hopes to inspire students to vote, according to Jones.

Vote Oswego also has partnerships off campus, including with Wonzones Calzones, a popular restaurant with college students in the City of Oswego. Jayson Shi, owner of Wonzones Calzones, attended one of the tabling events on Sept. 20 to show his support for the campus and Vote Oswego.

“I registered to vote when I was at Oswego,” Shi said. “Your voice matters. You need to vote. You can [register] at 18 or 38, let’s do it at 18.”

Another main goal of Vote Oswego is to educate students on why it is important to register to vote and to cast ballots. According to The Washington Post, only 66% of college students voted in the 2020 elections. Rank said she thinks students should get more involved because who is being elected will have a greater impact on them than they might think. 

“There is a lot happening with a lot of policies that college students have a stake in,” Rank said. “Getting that opportunity to at least have the capacity to cast a ballot is what we see our main goal as.”

Nathan Sprenger, a staff member of Vote Oswego and SUNY Oswego student, agreed with Rank and said students need to participate in elections so they can have their wants heard.

“Most people who vote are senior citizens and they are the ones who are getting to say what they want to happen,” Sprenger said. “College students aren’t [voting], and that’s a problem.”

According to PEW Research Center, 17% of all registered voters were ages 18-29, compared to ages 50-64 and 65+ who counted for 28% and 24%, respectively. 

For more information about Vote Oswego, visit their website at voteoswego.com. Any student club or organization that is interested in partnering with Vote Oswego can contact Rank at allison.rank@oswego.edu or via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook at VoteOswego.  

Photo provided by Noah Lika