Delta College will hold an event for students, staff, faculty, and members of the community to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and more activities to promote democratic engagement from September 16 through September 19.
Delta College has been named a Voter Friendly Campus for the 2023-2024 season, and recently also earned the Highly Established Action Plan Seal from ALL IN for this year’s election cycle. This is all part of the college’s desire to get students active in the nation’s democratic process.
As such, Delta is hosting a four day voter registration and absentee ballot drive across three of its campuses, the Downtown Midland Center, the Downtown Saginaw Center, and its main campus as part of a non-partisan national program called The Democracy Commitment.
The ballot drive will take place on Monday, September 16 and run through Thursday, September 19 from 9 am until 4 pm every day. Everyone from students, staff, faculty, and members of the community are invited to head to any of the three participating campuses during these designated times to do a variety of activities such as making a voting plan, requesting an absentee ballot, identifying their polling location, registering to vote, or just engaging in friendly conversation about the necessity of being a democratically engaged and active citizen. Each campus will also be engaging in some giveaways.
Lisa Lawrason, who serves as a professor of political science and as co-campus coordinator of The Democracy Commitment at Delta College, was quoted in an article on Delta’s website about the importance of events like this, saying, “In 2022, Michigan boasted the highest youth voter turnout in the country. Delta’s designation as a voter-friendly campus shows that we are doing our part to ensure the interests and voices of community college students are raised in the political process.”
Delta College hopes the drive will help eliminate some of the difficulties involved in fully participating in the democratic process for many people, not only for this election season, but into the future as well.
Professor Lawrason highlighted this point, saying, “When young people turn out to vote at high rates, politicians start paying closer attention to how they can better represent them. It's all about empowering them to shape their community through participating in elections.”
More information about the event, The Democracy Commitment at Delta College, or how to get involved, can be found by contacting Lisa Lawrason by phone at 989-686-9509, or email at lisalawrason@delta.edu.
More information about Delta College can be found at the school’s website here.