By Genesis Combs —
“Your voice, your vote, your future.”
This is the message that guest speaker Wendy Waters-Connell led with during her presentation
on October 2nd. With voting registration closing on the 7th, she came to Faculty Unhinged at
the Hamilton campus in order to encourage students to register and vote for the upcoming
election.
Waters-Connell assured the audience that voting was indeed one of the most important
methods that we have to make our voices heard, and that we must be cautious of rhetoric that
discourages us from exercising this right, as it is a means of taking power away. “It’s how we
change our future,” she told the crowd that gathered in the Diversity Center. “It’s our social
responsibility.”
While Waters-Connell was there to lead the discussion and share her knowledge, the entire
group contributed as several participants provided ideas and information in order to help each
other. The diversity in age, race, gender, culture, and more allowed for a wide range of
perspectives and advice to be given during the discussion.
Being able to find quality, trustworthy sources of information is also key. The public should try to include a large variety of sources whenever possible, to get the most comprehensive information available. It’s also a great idea to discuss sources with friends and family in order to share what you’ve found and help one other vet the information. Above all, use critical thinking whenever judging a source: Who created this? What biases could they have? What processes, if any, does the writer have for research and peer review?
If you will be eighteen years old by election day on November 5th, then you can register to vote
online on the official government website. Alternatively, you can also check your voter
registration and see where your polling place will be. Also remember that if you have changed
addresses since you last registered, you will need to register again. If you make a mistake on
your ballot or otherwise change your mind, you can ask a poll worker to help you restart the
ballot process, so long as you haven’t submitted it.
To help encourage one another to engage in our right to vote, try talking to friends about this
and perhaps agree to help each other research, register, and arrive at the polling stations. Hold
each other accountable and help ensure that you all do your part. If you are unable to vote for
any reason—if you are under eighteen years of age or are an international student and don’t yet
have the right to vote—the group suggested actions like education, protest, and other forms of
civil discourse.
Voting registration closes on October 7th. Election day will be held November 5th.
This is our chance to share our voice and shape our future.
Faculty Unhinged is a presentation and discussion-based event that happens every Wednesday
from 11:30 – 12:30. Students can participate in these discussions at the Center for Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion on both the Hamilton and Middletown campuses. A schedule of their
events can be found on their site and on the Hub.