Hi all! My name is Ana Caballero, and I am currently a senior at IU’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, pursuing a dual degree in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Spanish. This semester I have had the privilege to work with the PACE (Political and Civic Engagement) Department as their communications intern. My work during the semester has primarily revolved around running their social media platforms as well as participating and planning community events focused on the 2020 presidential election.
One of our major efforts this year has been getting IU students to register to vote. In doing so, I was able to compose a voter registration guide that covered many of the high points about how to properly vote this election year, including important details for each state and answers to student-specific questions about voting by mail and in-person. As an intern for PACE, it is important to be able to educate my fellow classmates in a non-partisan way about just how important voting is for our generation. We can make a real difference at the polls. Voting is a way to have our voices heard by people in power and work toward policy reform for a community we care about. These sorts of changes don’t just happen overnight, so it is important to be patient. Patient but persistent. Historically, it has been an uphill battle to have the voting rights we do today. And although the system might not be perfect, it is important to use this right that many people fought for us to obtain.
In recent years, universities in the Big Ten division have engaged in a friendly competition to see which campus can achieve the greatest voter turnout percentage among eligible voters on campus. This challenge is referred to as the Big Ten Voting Challenge (BTVC). Unfortunately, Indiana University is often towards the bottom of such a competition. This year, we really wanted to push the initiative for eligible college students to register and vote for the change they wish to see. So far, we have seen a great improvement in voter turnout as compared to the 2016 election. This sort of challenge is a way to bring Hoosiers together with a sense of unity; that although we might not be voting the same, we are all conscious about just how impactful our voices together are. The goal of Indiana University Bloomington’s (IUB) Big Ten Voting Challenge is to educate the student body on the importance of voting. Additionally, we support students in overcoming barriers to voting and teach guidelines to successfully cast a ballot. We aim to create a more informed, engaged, and active pool of student-citizens who understand the nuances of the voting process more fully, and who are skillful at educating themselves about all candidates and issues on the ballot.
For more information on PACE and the Big Ten Voting Challenge please visit our website at https://pace.indiana.edu/
Additional resources:
Guest Column in IDS from Lisa Marie-Napoli and Mark Fraley with PACE: https://www.idsnews.com/…/guest-column-students-key…
2020 Voter Registration Guide: https://pace.indiana.edu/about/big-ten-voting-challenge/IU-2020-Voting-Guide.pdf
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