Day on Democracy Encourages Voting and Civic Engagement

Ashley Utz was a freshman at the University of Mary Washington when she registered to vote. To cast her ballot, she needed to find time during her busy class schedule and figure out which polling place was hers.

“My inexperience with the voting process made it all the more challenging,” said Utz, now a senior, who has spent the past two years working with fellow students and Marina Castro-Meirelles ’18 to launch UMW’s inaugural Day on Democracy, making voting easier for Mary Washington students. Cancelling lecture classes on Election Day is just one aspect of this nonpartisan celebration – the first student-initiated event of its kind at a public, four-year institution in the United States – filled with civic education and political participation opportunities.

At the same time, in response to a polarized election season, the University is reminding students to honor others’ opinions and uphold UMW’s community values through ASPIRE Speak, a new initiative that promotes civility and respectful discourse.

“UMW attracts civic-minded students, and research shows that close relationships with faculty, like the ones formed at Mary Washington, often have a positive impact on voting rates,” Castro-Meirelles said. Nearly 87 percent of UMW students were registered to vote in 2016, exceeding the national average, according to a report released by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement.

But some students never made it to the polls, Castro-Meirelles observed, citing reasons like unfamiliarity with the candidates, uncertainty about which of three voting precincts assigned to Mary Washington students was theirs and inability to find time outside of class to cast their ballot. “If students spend the majority of their time on Election Day in class, when do they have time to vote?”

In 2018, the University Faculty Council approved Castro-Meirelles’ proposal to replace classes with a campus-wide celebration of democracy during future November general elections. A student-led committee, chaired by Utz, Associate Professor of Psychological Science David Stahlman and Sarah Dewees, associate director of UMW’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE), began meeting this February to plan civic programming throughout the fall semester, culminating with the first-ever Day on Democracy on Nov. 3.

UMW Votes volunteers Mariam Dames (left) and Stephanie Turcios (right) remind their fellow students to exercise their right to vote. Photo provided by the Center for Community Engagement.

For Vote Early Day on Oct. 24, Mary Washington students chalked Campus Walk with messages encouraging their peers to cast their ballots. Photo provided by the Center for Community Engagement.

Stephanie Turcios volunteers for UMW Votes, one of the campus civic organizations helping Mary Washington students prepare to vote. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Then came COVID-19, along with a switch to digital events. The days leading up to the election will be filled with bite-sized civics lessons on Zoom, Democracy Bingo, the Freedom Now Voting Competition and virtual keynote speeches. On Election Day, there will be online workshops, socially distanced volunteering and a conversation about Black Lives Matter and police brutality led by student activists with different political positions. A Zoom couch party, complete with music and prizes, closes out the celebration.

“We’re responding to this moment as we originally intended,” said Castro-Meirelles, who hopes to replicate the event at other colleges and universities nationwide and is tracking the growing movement. “By doing all we can to create a more informed and engaged electorate in our inaugural election cycle.”

In addition, CCE will offer Election Day care packages, direct students to their respective polling places and has joined the James Farmer Multicultural Center to provide a moderated “Wall of Hope” message board, where students can express – respectfully – their post-election thoughts. Political Science Professor Stephen Farnsworth, who directs UMW’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, will also lead a post-election debrief session.

During this divisive election season, President Troy Paino reminded the UMW community in a recent email to continue to engage in a way consistent with the University’s ASPIRE values.

“I came to UMW after transferring out of my first school, and one of the things that I really liked about coming here is the diversity of thought and the existence of such strong political organizations on both sides of the aisle,” said Young Democrats president Samuel Hartz. “We’ve always worked very well with the College Republicans, and we will continue to do so in the future.” Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Young Democrats president Samuel Hartz (left) and College Republicans president Andrew Newman (right) may be on opposite sides of the aisle – or a Campus Walk bench – but their respective groups have often teamed up to organize debates with local candidates, as well as other political events that encourage the spirit of bipartisanship. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

“UMW instills civil discourse in its student population and atmosphere by displaying the characteristics of ASPIRE all across the community,” said College Republicans president Andrew Newman. “I believe the relationship between College Republicans and Young Democrats exemplifies this atmosphere of mutual respect for one another and civility even amongst those who we disagree with.” Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

“Eagles speak up, but not over,” said Vice President for Equity and Access Sabrina Johnson in a video promoting ASPIRE Speak.

“As a liberal arts and sciences university, we are very mindful that our mission is to prepare you, our students, for professional and public leadership in a global environment of rapid change,” she said. “That includes a working and learning environment that acknowledges differences of opinion and that treats others with respect, whether we agree with them or not.”