By Lauren O’Neil, Communications Intern, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, (photo: Lauren and other UVA students canvassing to Get Out the Vote)
— The night before the recent November elections, I was so excited to vote that I could not sleep. As an 18-year-old college student voting for the first time, I knew that my vote would make a difference.
On the morning of election day, during the short walk from my dorm at the University of Virginia to the polling location, I braced myself, expecting to find a long line of eager college students ready to vote. There was no line out the door. In fact, there wasn’t a line at all. I was alone in the polling place and was told that I was only the fourth person to come through that day.
At first, I was shocked to find no other students, considering how easy it was for me to register to vote (I filled out an address change card) and cast a ballot. And it took my roommate just five minutes to vote absentee. Then I began to consider all of the obstacles most college students face when trying to cast a vote: changing your address, bringing an ID, figuring out where to vote, and navigating how to time voting in between classes (UVA still holds classes on election day, as many colleges do) are just a few of the many roadblocks we face despite our enthusiasm about voting. As I look to the presidential election this year, likely the most important election of my lifetime, I wonder how we can make a difference and educate residents across Virginia so that everyone has the information they need to cast their vote and engage in our democracy.
As a communications intern at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) this summer, I have seen the impact of empowering Virginians to take part in our political process and I am so excited about VICPP’s new program: Civic Engagement Summer. The program runs from June 15th to August 21st and aims to recruit and unite five college interns and twenty volunteers to reach out (virtually) to congregations and communities across the Commonwealth through a Get Out the Vote campaign.
This is a unique opportunity to be on the frontlines of an important voter registration campaign targeting faith communities across the state. Interns will meet (via Zoom) with clergy, conduct training sessions, and distribute electoral literature to educate and inspire voters to cast their ballots. Both student interns and volunteers will partake in fulfilling work during this complicated, uncertain election season.
As college students and members of the Virginia community, this is an opportunity to directly impact the lives of Virginians and the future of the Commonwealth. Gerrymandering (the deliberate manipulation of legislative district lines to benefit a party or individual), voter suppression, complicated voting processes, and confusing voter registration rules often make it hard to vote in Virginia. And voter turnout is low. In the 2016 presidential election, voter turnout for registered voters was just over 72% and voter turnout in the off-year elections in 2014 was only 40%. For college students, these numbers are even lower: 43.4% in the 2016 election and only a 16.3% voter turnout in the 2014 Senate elections.
While low voter turnout and voter suppression are disheartening, VICPP’s Civic Engagement Summer program provides a clear path to do something about these issues and increase accountability and representation across Virginia. As a VICPP intern, I know you will gain experience and political knowledge through an immersive, community-centered summer program.
In these uncertain times, I have found that advocacy-based work has made me feel hopeful and determined. I believe this program will do the same for you! If you are interested in getting involved in our Civic Engagement Summer, here’s the LINK TO APPLY. I look forward to seeing each of you step up and fulfill your civic responsibility and make a difference in the world.