Classes at Villanova will be canceled on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. That is the notification I hope to soon receive from our administration regarding Election Day. More than 41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in their first presidential election this November. That is 41 million opinions, 41 million votes and 41 million voices. As young adults, we are still navigating a world in which we have newfound responsibilities, especially being college students overwhelmed with work. For many students on campus, this will be their first presidential election, and this will also be the first election in which most students are eligible on the Villanova campus. The Villanova administration needs to seize this opportunity to educate all students on the importance of their ballot.
It is our God-given right as Americans to hold the power of the ballot when it comes to the leaders that govern this nation. This is a major responsibility, and one that the American public doesn’t take lightly, as we are writing our future. With this election, comes a new wave of voters at Villanova, who will cast their opinion on who should be the next president of the United States. However, most students aren’t educated on the power of their vote or even how to get registered. That is why Villanova has started a movement entitled “Let’s Vote ‘Nova,” to encourage students to exercise their constitutional right. Various booths have been set up across campus in which students are given the opportunity to register as voters in the state of Pennsylvania. Yet, I believe an even bigger push to get students to the polls on election day would be to cancel classes.
As college students, our primary focus is our education, and we often can barely find time to eat and use the restroom let alone walk over to the polls and cast our vote. For most students, it will slip their mind on election day as it becomes one of their tasks on a long list of other things to get done. Voting shouldn’t be lost on a laundry list of homework and other events. By eliminating the daily schedule of classes on Nov. 5, students have large blocks of time that are now opened up to them. This provides each student with a major incentive to get out and go over to the polls.
I believe that it is Villanova’s responsibility to educate every person in the student body about voting and how important of an event it is. Voting is not simply an act or a check on a slip of paper, but an honor and a right that our ancestors fought for each of us to have.
“I believe that canceling classes on Election Day is crucial, especially at Villanova University,” freshman and political science major Megan Lawn said. “As a swing state, Pennsylvania plays a pivotal role in the 2024 election, and this significance goes both ways. It is essential to encourage college students to vote, as they represent a large portion of the electorate yet consistently exhibit lower voter turnout. By canceling classes for the day, the University would strongly enable students’ participation in this civic duty, emphasizing that every vote truly matters.”
For myself, I feel that it is very important for me to vote as a woman. Women have only been able to vote for 104 years, and the women’s suffrage movement was one of sacrifice and dedication by our ancestors. I feel that I owe it to these strong powerful women to use the right that they fought so hard for me to have. There are so many women in other countries who aren’t even allowed to leave their homes without their husbands’ permission, let alone choose who is going to lead their country. It is Villanova’s responsibility as a university in this day and age to promote the privilege that we have to vote. The most effective way for students to understand the gravity of this and to show up to the polls on Nov. 5 is by canceling classes so all students are given the same opportunity. Let’s walk to the polls, let’s cast our ballot and let’s vote, ‘Nova.
