Students attending the voting event The Xavierite
As voting season begins, Saint Xavier University (SXU) promoted voting registration among their students. On Wednesday, Oct. 2, Unidos and the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted an event in the Wiseman Student Lounge. The event was titled “Why Your Vote Matters!” on The Den.
Students were able to come to the event and discuss the upcoming election and voting registration. Unidos and the Black Student Union came together for this event to focus on voting demographics throughout the last few elections.
President of the BSU, Johnnetta Washington, and President of Unidos, Evelyn Martinez, ran the event. Martinez said “your voice is your power, and that is what we are here to talk about today.” Martinez went on to talk about how Latino and black voters are a “voting powerhouse.”
There was a 23% rise in black and Latino voters in 2010. “30 million Latino voters were eligible to vote in 2020, but only 16.5 million voted in the election. That was a 48% increase in voters from 2016.” Martinez explained.
“We need to use our voices to make change in this upcoming election,” said Martinez. Johnnetta Washington talks about the discrepancies between female and male voters. “Women are 54% more likely to vote than men.,” according to Washington.
16 million black women were eligible to vote in 2020 and 67% were registered. “We still need representation,” said Washington.
“No black woman has ever served as governor in 253 years of our country’s history, that needs to change,” said Martinez. She went on to say that our communities need to advocate for change, and this election is no better time to do it.
Eligible voters can request mail-in ballots now if they aren’t able to access voting facilities. The absentee ballot deadline is due by Oct. 31.
Student Government Association (SGA) and Student life also hosted an event in the diner on Oct. 2. Students were able to come and be assisted with registering to vote after they attended the BSU and Unidos event. This is the second session they have hosted for voter registration.
Orientation & Belonging Coordinator Giuli Islas was among the staff that was hosting the event. Islas explained that the registration process is quick and easy, and not different from registering on vote.org.
“SXU has its own domain for voter registration partnered through TurboVote, so it’s tailored for Saint Xavier Students. It makes it very easy for them to vote,” Islas said.
When asked if SGA had gotten a lot of students to register to vote, Islas said “we had a good number of students show up last session, and even more students have come to this one.”.
Donovan Jackson, an SXU student, registered at the event. “I am 20, so this is my first time voting. I found the voting registration to be pretty easy,” Jackson said.
Many students are currently first-time voters, and Saint Xavier’s voting domain will target this.
Another organization on campus is talking about voting. The Political Science Forum (PSF) hosted a general body meeting Thursday, Oct. 3. The meeting was held in the Wiseman Student Lounge.
President of the Political Science Forum Morgan Ulanowski, covered topics like future events, voter registration, past debates and why students should vote. The event served as a general body meeting for current and prospective members.
Vice President Josh Bernal talked about why it is important for the PSF to talk about voting. “Students as a voting demographic get left out a lot. They don’t think it matters, so that’s why it’s important that we show them it matters” Bernal said.
Ulanowski endorsed the SXU voting domain used at the SGA event. The meeting also served to let students know what events the PSF had lined up considering the election season.
On Oct. 21, the PSF is set to host what they call their “Candidate Frenzy.” “We are going to go into detail about all thing’s registration, election, and specifically the candidates themselves. We will talk about both political parties and 3rd parties too,” said Treasurer Joseph Wlodarek.
The executive board also urged students to attend the Pre and Post-Election panel hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence. The events will be held on Oct. 22 and Nov. 12 respectively.
If you haven’t already registered to vote, please visit vote.org or reach out to Student Government sga@mymail.sxu.edu with any questions.
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