My path to becoming a voting advocate at Southwestern University wasn’t exactly linear. As a Spanish professor, I’ve always been passionate about communication and community, but it was a friendship with a colleague in the Political Science department that truly shifted my trajectory. She was the driving force behind our campus joining the Campus Vote Project and securing our designation as a Voter Friendly Campus. When she moved, I felt called to fill the void and ensure our momentum didn’t stall.

From Faculty to Front-Line Advocate

What started as supporting a colleague’s legacy blossomed into a personal commitment. Today, my role as a voting advocate is multi-faceted:

• County Liaison: I work directly with the county to ensure we continue to have a polling place on campus, making the ballot box accessible to every student.
• VDR Certification: I lead voter registration drives and guide students through the process of becoming Volunteer Deputy Registrars (VDRs) for Williamson County.
• Strategic Partnerships: I’ve joined the Williamson County League of Women Voters, connecting with their leadership to bring high-quality voter education programming to our campus.

Why This Matters: The Data

While Southwestern’s 2022 voting rate of 37.6% outperformed the national average for all institutions (30.6%), we saw a 14.7% decrease from 2018. Our registration remains high at 87%, but the “yield rate”—the percentage of registered students who actually cast a ballot—dropped to 43%. These numbers tell a clear story: our students are registered, but we need to better bridge the gap between registration and voting.

The Road Ahead: Engaging New Voices

My goal for the 20265-276 academic year is to expand our reach to less active voter groups. We are moving to build a culture of civic duty in every corner of campus:

• Athletics: I have been working with our swim coach to pilot a program where one designated leader on every team acts as a civic captain, reminding their teammates of deadlines and election dates.
• Greek Life: This March, I metam meeting with leaders in Greek life to discuss how their organizations can lead the charge in voter registration and education.
• Across the Curriculum: We are engaging with faculty to integrate civic engagement into classes across all disciplines, not just the social sciences.

I am incredibly grateful for this role. At Southwestern, we believe that “we lose every election we don’t participate in,” and I am committed to making sure our students are always in the game.

Useful resources about voting:

vote411.org - non-partisan information about voting and what’s on your ballot

Voter Friendly Campus - a non-profit organization that helps institutions develop democratic engagement action plans that coordinate administrators, faculty, and student organizations in civic and electoral engagement.