Increasing civic participation at Colgate

The numbers aren’t good. In the last midterm election, a mere 7 percent of Colgate students voted according to a survey out of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Heading into a midterm election of critical importance, we are committed to helping students feel knowledgeable, engaged, and empowered to express their voice about issues that matter to them on all sides of the political spectrum. Through a full campus initiative funded by President Casey’s office and advised by faculty with deep political expertise, we have hired four summer student interns to gather information on student voter motivations and absentee ballot processes to put resources in the right places to reach and engage our students. The effort will continue through the fall and into the future as we partner with a national civic engagement organization to link our efforts regionally and nationally to have greater impact.