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Student Voting Panel Gets Right to the Point

The Student Voting Panel was held in Preston Hall last week.
By Tristan Craco '26

September 19 was National Voter Registration Day. Ever the active campus, Election@Bard celebrated by stationing a table outside Kline Commongs Dining Hall that featured a surplus of information and registration resources. Their goal was to help fellow students get involved. The table was open all afternoon, but Election@Bard’s endeavors did not end when they folded up the table at 8:00 that night.

Two days later, I was sitting in the back of Preston Hall Theater, to hear five student panelists respond to the topic, which was "Why We Vote."

For those who have never been, the Preston Hall Theater is, to put it nicely, intimate. With only enough room for one lecture’s worth of occupants, the red velvet seats feel more appropriate for a small, vintage movie theater than a classroom. A flat wall with a projection screen replaces a stage. The only place to put a table was in the walkway between the chairs and screen. Even from the farthest row, I was still barely twenty-five feet away from where the panelists sat. 

Not only were the speakers exclusively Bard students, it was moderated and organized by them as well. The main moderator, and Lead Intern for Election@Bard, Sierra Ford, gave a brief introduction to the program. It would be about an hour of prepared questions from the moderators, then an open Q&A session from the audience. Each panelist introduced themselves, and the questions were on.

The panel was not homogenous. Every answer was informed by different backgrounds, motives, and perspectives, and this became clear from the very first question: “Why should young people get involved politically?” 

The first answer came from the far end of the table. Owen thinks it's “quite simple” – politics affects everyone, if not now, then eventually. 
Another panelist, Ava, agreed, saying that she considers voting to be the “bare minimum." Everyone will find a topic that resonates with them. There is no reason not to vote. In fact, they would later say that they consider voting a privilege, and that to not use it is to disrespect those who have and continue to fight for that right.

Then came Fi. They emphasized the importance of thinking independently and practicing critical thought.

Parwin was most concerned with the security of the future. As the Supreme Court overturns decades-old protections like Affirmative Action and Roe v. Wade, the only way to do that is to vote now.

“You may die,” she said, “but there’s also the next generation to take into account.” 

Finally, speaker Malena used her answer to remind us that when Owen says ‘everyone is affected’, that includes people who can't vote. This includes felons, immigrants, and citizens of U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, where Malena is from. For Malena, voting is not about the individual but about the community that individual represents.

The matter of individualist versus collectivist thinking was brought up again at a later point in the panel.

“Do you feel that you have a personal responsibility to vote?” they were asked, “Or is it a responsibility to your community?”

Some had more mixed feelings than others. Owen initially answered by describing himself as “not a big social responsibility guy," nor does he have any trigger issues which are necessary to win his vote. However, he has certain topics which are very likely to win his favor. Those are police reform and criminal justice reform, both very community-centered.

For Malena, it was much less complicated. Now that she is living in New York, Malena is given the opportunity to vote, something she could never have done in Puerto Rico.

“I get to actually do something for us now when we’ve been living in the shadows,” she said. Indeed, Puerto Rico is hardly in the American public’s eye, let alone that of American politicians. The island was seen following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, for a moment, and Puerto Rico is still recovering. It is incidents like this that motivate Malena. All voter disenfranchisement does is make her want to vote more. It is an act of spite. 

This opened up a long discussion about accessibility in politics. Puerto Ricans may not be able to vote in federal elections, but they can cast a ballot for their local government.

In reality, there are many other obstacles, such as poor funding for public schools. Additionally, the polls themselves are notoriously difficult to get to, especially for the elderly and physically disabled. It is such a problem that many people think it is done intentionally. 

These issues are not exclusive to Puerto Rico or other territories. Abysmal education funding and sparse, inaccessible polling stations are epidemics in the United States. In some places voting is simply inefficient, like when New Yorkers stood in line for four hours after polls closed because they were too few and too slow.

In other places it is a matter of active marginalization. Sierra and speaker Parwin used Georgia as an example. Last year, one county eliminated early voting on Sundays. There was massive pushback; many Black churches used Sunday voting to mobilize their congregations, quite literally packing them in vans after services to drive them to the polls. Then, this year, it became a felony in the state for anyone other than a caregiver, or certain family members, to fill out and submit a ballot on another person’s behalf. This effectively makes voting illegal for those who physically cannot fill out a ballot due to disability. This is supposedly meant to prevent voter fraud, although one speaker, Fi, observed that
"voter fraud" is a buzzword used to mean "minorities voting for the opposite side."

“The reason this isn’t addressed is because it is easier to exclude these communities that facilitate their voting," Fi said.

One could also argue that there is a third epidemic plaguing the country – apathy. There are many reasons why Americans, young generations particularly, are reluctant to get out there and vote. 

To start, we are hardly acknowledged in the first place. Right now, American politics are dominated by Boomers and Gen X, generations notoriously out of touch with the wants and needs of the youth. Perhaps old people don’t think the young know enough to be worth listening to, or maybe they just don’t understand. Either way, they are disengaged. Young adults are viewed as almost a “last resort,” Malena said. With their wants and needs going largely ignored, Millennials and Gen Z have less and less motivation to vote. Why vote for someone who does not represent them? 

It doesn’t end there. The lack of representation is made worse by an ever more polarizing political climate. As the rift between Republicans and Democrats widens, progress gets slower and slower; the right gets more radical while the left stays the same.

“It can be hard to see the impact [of your vote],” said Fi. Ava admitted that they do not think their vote goes as far as they wish it did on a federal level. It becomes overwhelming, and it’s draining to care about something that will never change, especially for people of color. Unfortunately, there is no viable third party option.

However, every speaker agreed that it was not hopeless. Both Fi and Parwin made a point of the power in numbers, with Parwin saying, “Voting is a collective power!” Additionally, panelists advocated for the power of local government.

The importance of local government also came up at the registration table outside Kline just a few days before. A volunteer for the district senator gave me quite the spiel about how important local voting was. Not only do these elections have the most direct impact on your life, but they can also be a foot in the door for improvement everywhere. Think of how many monumental civil rights victories started out in the town courtrooms. In other words, if you want your vote to matter, vote local.

For Bard students looking to get involved immediately, there are ample opportunities across the Hudson Valley. Visit the Center for Civic Engagement website for the Election@Bard page, and get involved.

The voting process can be overwhelming and exhausting. Politics feel like a never ending cycle of stalemates and fearmongering. But this panel lifted my spirits. As my generation continues to become politically aware, the closer we get to not only the representation we deserve, but the progress we’ve been demanding.

Post Date: 09-28-2023
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