Civic Engagement for You and Me
“It Matters: Engage. Participate. Vote.”
It’s an election year again. The CCE is teaming up with departments across campus to engage the campus and the wider community in a series of non-partisan, elections-related events and attractions aimed at promoting civic participation and education. During election season, we want to make sure that people are informed and involved because everyone has the right to be educated on the political system that regulates our lives.
[Related: SSU Students Tackle Ballot Measures]
The It Matters program on campus has been used for decades as a way to get people excited and informed about the electoral process. Guest speakers have included authors, congresspeople, community activists, and more. In recent years, It Matters has been a service-learning class that holds a community-wide overview of ballot initiatives. Events like these help prepare voters by giving them information that they would not otherwise have in a way that people can understand. My family votes by mail and we sit down to vote together every election and talk about the measures and candidates. Our mailbox fills up with glossy flyers and my phone pings with every text for another campaign. When talking about the ballot measures, it becomes clear that we are often confused about what it’s trying to say. When I attended the last It Matters, we were able to listen to the students provide non-partisan information on the ballots. It helped that we could get all the information and it didn’t require us to sort through piles of material. This is just one example of how students and community can create connections through community-engaged pedagogy.
This year, the CCE and our partners are creating a dynamic multi-event series of events to attract students and community members to the polls. Whether it is your first time voting, you have been actively involved in public affairs and civic engagement, or something in between, It Matters will have something for everyone. We hope to see many campus participants and community members, and we look forward to this dynamic series for the 2024 election and to doing more in the future.
The opening reception happens on Wednesday, September 11th from 5-7pm on the Wine Spectator Learning Center Patio. Afternoon discussions will be posted on the CCE’s website. You can RSVP to attend the reception, as light refreshments and small bites will be provided. See you at the reception and at the many events we will be having this election season!