By Monica Dobson, Newswire Intern

Last Wednesday, Xavier’s Women in Politics hosted a voter registration event in the Gallagher Student Center (GSC) in Arrupe Overlook, drawing nearly 100 Xavier students, faculty and community members. 

At this event, students had the opportunity to go to different booths run by students to check their registration, register to vote and get absentee ballots for the upcoming election.

Women in Politics collaborated with Xavier YDSA, Xavier Newswire, College Republicans, College Democrats and Xavier Student Sustainability (XSS) to help table the event.

XSS co-president senior Economic, Sustainability and Society major Ella O’Maley believes that this event was important because young people will play a significant role in this year’s election.

“There is a lot of work to be done and it all starts with youth engagement. Highlighting these issues (is) very crucial during voting times,” O’Maley said.

Women in Politics is a relatively new club in its third year. President of Women in Politics and senior Philosophy, Politics and the Public and history double major Alyssa Blandford explained her interest in supporting Women in Politics and the need to build a community for politically-engaged women on campus. 

“There’s a strong need to eliminate barriers for college students to register and vote,” Blandford said. “This event aims to make it easy for students to register and vote, reducing obstacles.”

Blandford also shared that she conducted a research project on youth voter turnout as a Bruggeman Fellow, focusing on European elections in Brussels, Belgium and Berlin, Germany. She highlighted the importance of getting students registered to vote, as young adults 18-25 tend to vote in fewer numbers than other age groups. 

  She addressed the challenges that young people face, which are the common misconceptions that young people are apathetic about the idea of voting, arguing that young people engage in politics in non-institutional ways because when in reality there are many barriers young people face such as ID laws and the complications of trying to register to vote.

  “It is important we get young people to vote, as they are the future of democracy,” Blandford said.

  Blandford noted the importance of knowing that there are more things on the ballot than just the presidential election in the 2024 election. She encourages students who are unsure about how to cast their ballot to talk to their friends about voting and to attend events hosted by the various political clubs on campus.

  “Breaking down the barrier of not talking about politics is crucial for encouraging voter participation,” Blandford said.  There will be on-campus voting during Election Day on Nov. 5. For students who are registered to vote on campus, there will be a polling place located in the GSC. If not registered at Xavier, it is recommended for students living in surrounding neighborhoods to find their polling places online. Blandford noted that students need to have an Ohio driver’s license or passport to vote in Ohio, or they can vote by mail.