Half of young people ages 18-29 voted in the 2020 presidential election, an 11-point increase from 2016 and one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18, according to research from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.
Melissa Gamble, assistant professor in the School of Fashion, wants Gen Z voters at Columbia to realize the impact they can have in the upcoming election if they turn out in similar numbers on Nov. 5.
Gamble invited her “Trendspotting” class to attend a screening of a documentary called “The Deciders” on Tuesday, Sept. 17 to show the importance of voting. The event was co-hosted by the School of Fashion, the Columbia Chronicle and Columbia Votes! and coincided with National Voter Registration Day.
“The Deciders” is a documentary streaming on Apple TV about a group of millionaires who try to rally working-class residents in Whiteville, North Carolina, to work together to dispel economic inequity pushed by politicians. The town has swung 12 points from Democrat to Republican in the last 20 years.
More than 60 students gathered at HAUS on the first floor of the 623 S. Wabash building for the event.
“Most Columbia students are already registered to vote, but it doesn’t really matter if you’re registered if you don’t vote,” said Tyler Harding, a senior film and television major who attended on behalf of Columbia Votes! The group’s primary goal is to get people registered to vote as well as “encourage civic engagement.”
Harding passed out flyers with QR codes to help students register. Students are able to register through Columbia Votes! in the Student Center from Monday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., on motivote or on any other online registration site.
“Getting people to continue to show up and participate is difficult,” Harding said. “There is injustice and gerrymandering and the drawing of state election lines and the districts, and so it’s just ever important that people vote.”
Students were given voter guides from Guides.vote that listed the presidential and vice-presidential nominees stances on topics such as abortion, climate change, criminal justice and more.
Jaylen Barrow, a transfer journalism student, represented Columbia Votes! at the event with Harding. While he first joined the group to be a student employee, he said he realized that being in this group is “a great opportunity to spread a message about being informed on candidates, being informed on voter registration, being just an informed person in general by societal issues.”
Barrow said the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act were passed in the 1960’s so more people can go out and vote.
“Coming in to vote is your right,” Barrow said. “There’s this thing called voter suppression–so be informed about who you’re voting for, making sure you register to vote and check your voter registration a few times coming up this November.”
Harding and Gamble both said the turnout of the event was “great” and were excited to see the room full of students.
Gamble asked the room about how many were registered to vote, saying she was “happy” to see how many students raised their hand because it was “more than I’ve seen in past semesters.”
Chronicle staff raffled a T-shirt, handed out swag and provided information about its upcoming voter guide and fall print issue. A playlist of freedom songs recommended by students who attended the screening will be released later this week.
Copy edited by Doreen Abril Albuerne-Rodriguez
