With just about a week until the 2024 Presidential Election, campus is stirring. Campaigns like Let’s Vote Nova and outside organizations have been all over campus, encouraging students to register to vote and get involved with civic activism. And while for a number of people, this will be their first Presidential election, a select group on campus will be voting for the first time ever; freshmen.
Surveying a number of freshmen over on South Campus, everyone I spoke to was registered to vote. The campaigns across campus have been extremely successful in getting students to learn about the voting process. Though, many of these students registered to vote are hours away from home by train, car, and even plane. So, what is Villanova doing to ease this voting experience for those who cannot return home?
This year, the Mullen Center for Performing Arts will be Villanova’s on-campus polling place. Open all day long, students who are far from home who chose to register through the state of Pennsylvania (one of this elections prime swing states) will be able to cast their vote during their normal school day. And this option has been significant for the freshmen on campus. Of those asked to fill out a quick survey, 50% of freshmen were registered to vote on Villanova’s campus, the other 50% choosing to vote within their home state. But one freshman and Pennsylvania native, Maggie Alexander, commented that “…my home state is Pennsylvania and I live close to Villanova, but if I didn’t, I would vote on campus.” Many freshmen find this option to vote on campus crucial to getting them involved in the civil process. For many of them (83.3%), this on-campus voting experience will be the first time they have ever voted in their life.
But some freshmen have a completely different experience to the majority. Some freshmen on Villanova’s campus cannot even vote. One of these freshmen is Tao Le, who immigrated from Vietnam to the United States at age 11, and attends Villanova as a Nursing major. She is in the process of working for her US citizenship, and so she finds that “[I] don’t feel [like I] belong, since everyone was talking about ‘Where do you register?’ or ‘Have you registered to vote yet?’ or ‘Who do you vote for?’” She explained how her journey has left her feeling detached from the voter campaigns on campus, saying that it “…has pushed me away from the conversation with my friends (…) just because I’m not a citizen yet.”
Each Villanova freshman brings an incredibly unique experience to campus, and that is highlighted through this election process this year. While the election is essential for our political voices, it also voices the stories we may not hear often, and gives each Villanovan their own place to be heard.
So whether or not you are confused about the election process, staying here or going home, or not even voting at all, the Villanova community is here to support each student on their journey.
