Over the past month, LWVDC has been spending time at Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia, gearing up for the general election and beyond! These two events at local university campuses highlight the enthusiasm and opportunities to engage this generation of new voters.
Howard University on October 4, 2024
LWVDC worked with a Howard University team, led by Katelyn Thompson, on their successful "Bison on the Block" Voter Registration Event. Nancy Hirschhorn (LWVDC's Young Voters' Outreach Team) led these enthusiastic volunteers: Anita Cooke Wells, Dawn Cooke, Safiatou Doukoure, Lauren Hatten, Sierra Rice, Aniyah Smith, and Margary Rogers.
The team kept very busy from 2 to 5 pm, staffing tables strategically located in "The Yard," registering students on tablets and on phones. We helped many students check their registrations and request absentee ballots. Some volunteers also walked around the Yard talking with students about DC statehood efforts, and we collected 65 signatures on the DC Statehood Petition. Many students took advantage of the Vote411 QR code to check their voting status on their phones.
Howard University has a very active, diverse student body, which has demonstrated its commitment to voter registration and student engagement. This was the third LWVDC event at Howard during the past two years. Students continue to show a great deal of interest in building their involvement in voting and elections.
LWVDC plans to continue to build our network of contacts at Howard University and serve as a resource for Howard students to promote voter registration and engagement. We would also like to learn more about Howard's participation in the Students Learn Students Vote coalition's programs, including the: the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge; the Voter Friendly Campus designation program; and the Ask Every Student national initiative.
UDC on October 23, 2024
LWVDC worked with faculty and staff at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), Dr. Ashley Daniels and Ms. Doni Russell, at UDC's Voter Education Fair, which was part of UDC Democracy Week, 2024. Nancy Hirschhorn led enthusiastic volunteers Sierra Rice, Susan Garro, and Anne Stauffer.
While the event was quite small, the team interacted with a few students and faculty members who passed by our table in the Theater Building. We discussed LWVDC, DC statehood, and DC elections. We collected 7 signatures on the DC Statehood Petition. We also had a chance to meet Catherine (Cat) Fish of Civic Action and discuss Civic Action's work on the ALL IN Democracy Challenge. We met UDC faculty members interested in including LWV's educational materials in their classes.
UDC also has a very diverse student body and staff, which have demonstrated their commitment to voter registration and student engagement. This was the first LWVDC event at UDC during the past two years. We hope that this will lead to ongoing participation of LWVDC in UDC voter engagement activities. LWVDC plans to continue to build our network of contacts at UDC and serve as a resource for UDC students and faculty to promote voter registration and engagement. We would like to learn more about UDC's participation in the various Students Learn Students Vote coalitions and programs, as well.
