If you were among the 1,700 first-year students attending New Student Orientation in late August, the two phrases you heard the most were probably, “Welcome to Villanova” and “Hey, are you guys registered to vote?” From the first day of Orientation through the first week of classes, representatives from various organizations unaffiliated with Villanova stationed themselves across South and Main Campuses with the aim of aiding students in getting out to vote. In some cases, a single volunteer sat on one of the benches along Wildcat Path or outside of Pit with a clipboard to take down polling information from students and provide resources on how to register in Pennsylvania—a key swing state for the 2024 presidential election cycle.
In other instances, like one of my encounters with these groups, a few workers would set up a table on the corner of Lancaster and Ithan by the Commons and promise free merchandise to anyone who registered with their help or already had been registered. Participants also filled out a short survey concerning the causes that were most important to them in this upcoming race, including climate, inflation, gun violence, immigration and women’s health issues. Most received a free sticker pack, Celsius drink or a “Voting is Hot” baseball cap (my personal pick) out of the exchange, as well as a card advertising the organization running the booth: Project 26 Pennsylvania.
According to its website, Project 26 is a “scrappy and innovative operation” whose mission is to “promote and expand democracy in Pennsylvania by elevating youth leadership in order to get organized, vote in key elections and exercise our power.” With partnerships on college campuses across the state, including Lehigh, University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson and West Chester, the movement has been working since the start of the election season to educate and recruit young voters, appealing to the demographic with “brat”-themed social media branding, inspired by the hit album by singer Charli XCX, and inflatable dinosaur mascots at many of the group’s campus appearances. By the end of its week at Villanova, Project 26 boasted a total of 297 students registered to vote with its assistance and an additional 145 students who pledged to do so.
Considering the crucial role that our university’s state plays in many elections, it could be argued that advocates like these are needed here more than ever to help students realize their collective impact. After all, Pennsylvania’s voting history fades from red to blue and back from year to year, hovering at close to a half-and-half breakdown of votes. In 2020, 50% of voters supported Joe Biden, ultimately helping to secure his election, while 48.8% cast their ballots for Donald Trump. In 2016, the distribution was 47.5% and 48.2%, a seemingly trivial shift that ended up making a difference in electing a Republican candidate. Although there’s no question about the impact that Pennsylvania will have as a toss-up state in 2024, reactions across campus were mixed.
“I feel like it was convenient to be able to register on campus, since it can be a long and complicated process without that help,” freshman student Victoria Phillips said.
However, it seems that some would disagree, judging by the relatively small percentage of students who took initiative to register (only 297) compared to an estimated 1,190 unregistered students out of the 7,000 on campus, according to national and state averages. All in all, though, it seems that the welcoming of these groups to campus can be a step in the right direction; that is, if Villanovans themselves take the initiative to make use of their resources.
