Pictured Above: Nonpartisan and partisan campus organizations prepare for the November election.
Darnell Henderson | The Crow’s Nest
By Trevor Martindale
We have public servants to elect in November – and campus organizations are prepared to highlight the importance of civic engagement.
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), USF St. Petersburg’s nonpartisan program which promotes civic involvement, has devised efforts in three areas: registration, engagement and turnout.
“We’re working with housing to get voter registration applications/address update forms to all students after move-in,” CCE program coordinator Thomas Gay said in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “For those students residing off-campus, we’ll also employ extensive email and social media outreach along with faculty partners distributing forms in face-to-face class settings.”
Gay also outlined plans for direct engagement.
“We’re looking at doing a social media series throughout the semester that will focus race by race to help introduce candidates to students beyond the top of the ticket,” Gay said.
CCE plans to promote mail-in voting, as previous turnout methods do not align with the university’s COVID-19 guidelines.
“We’ll be stressing (the) option to register for vote-by-mail to students,” Gay said. “Transportation to the polls has been offered each of the last two cycles though we anticipate university policy will not allow for this in November.”
Student organizations are also looking to promote civic engagement.
The College Democrats plan to compile resources for civic opportunities.
“(We will) refer students to canvassing and protest opportunities,” said Madeline Rhodes, president of College Democrats.
Turning Point USA, a student organization which advocates for right-wing policies, is inactive this year.
Former Turning Point USA President Kacy Cartmell still hopes students are civically engaged.
“I don’t care who you vote for, just make sure you go out and vote,” Cartmell said.
Turning Point USA’s inactive status means no organization will actively support Republican candidates.
Former Turning Point USA Vice President Lexi Bishop believes USF St. Petersburg’s political climate is to blame.
“Many students choose to avoid bringing up conservative beliefs due to many fears; loss of friends (or) even the violent confrontations across the nation,” Bishop said. “While it is disheartening to see that conservative students do not have a safe place on campus, we are also in interesting times with the coronavirus pandemic. I hope to see some determined conservatives form an organization once they feel comfortable to do so.”
Bishop is reluctantly supporting President Donald Trump.
“If Kanye West had announced his running sooner and people considered him as a viable candidate, I would consider him as a possible choice,” said Bishop in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “I have not been a fan of how the Trump Administration has handled the pandemic. With the top candidates being Trump or Biden, I will most likely vote for Trump.”
Rhodes and the College Democrats will be advocating for the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket.
“Beyond the fact that they are the nominated candidates from the Democrat party, we support their policies and believe that they will work towards building a more cohesive, empathetic and democratic government,” Rhodes said.
