IC News

“It’s a challenge this year. We’re trying our best to reach out to the student body virtually,” said Michael Deviney ’20, president of IC Republicans. “It’s very important to inform students on dates and to let them know that their vote counts.” 

Lucy Calderon ‘23, president of the IC Democrats, added, “What’s the point of doing a bunch of little voting initiatives when you can do one together? Because it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what you believe in. Just that you do your civic duty and make your voice heard.”  

There is a student organization voting competition where organizations indicate how many of their members are registered to vote and then get a sticker to post on social media that says “I Voted.”  

“IC votes cannot reach every single IC student, so we are putting the responsibility on every single IC organization to make sure their members are registered,” Calderon said.   

In addition to these initiatives, on Oct. 1, the college held a virtual panel titled IC Community Conversations: Voter Education. Sponsored by the Division of Philanthropy and Engagement and the Ithaca College Partnership Pathways group, the panel consisted of SGC president Conner Shea ‘21; Irene Aurora Flores, staff attorney for Legal Assistance of Western New York; James Felton, vice president for inclusive excellence at The College of New Jersey; and Jeff Furman, founder of Rejoice the Vote, an organization dedicated to empowering youth and encouraging high voter turnouts.  

Much of the discussion focused on issues surrounding voting for marginalized people and the younger generation, as well as the importance of being educated on what one votes on.  

“Making this a high priority thing, really taking the time to educate yourself and talk with your friends and family, I think that’s really, really important when it comes to registration and voting,” Shea said. “I know for a fact that this election will impact many friends and family. We need to be thinking about our community, our IC community, our town of Ithaca community, and our home communities.”  

The panel went on to address specific logistics to this unique year, civic education, voting regarding disenfranchised communities and resources for students. Moderator David Harker, director of the college’s Center for Civic Engagement, emphasized that the center is available to answer any questions or offer any help students might need. 

“I want this to be a jumping off point for a lot of these discussions to please utilize the resources that IC is really consciously putting together this year, knowing that it’s a very important election,” he said.