Lancers Vote is a non-partisan civil engagement organization at Longwood University with the main goal being to inform Longwood students on voting and to get them to vote. They set up booths and hold events where they teach students about who’s on the ballot, how to register to vote, what they should do before they vote, and where they can cast their vote.
The organization is run by co-presidents of the organization, Kathryn Holloway and McKayla Kiser. Kiser said, “Lancers Vote is like a project baby that came from a Citizen 410 class a couple years back. It’s a combination of Virginia 21 and the Campus Vote Project.”
Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Lancers Vote was hard at work trying to make an impact on campus and encourage students to vote. Holloway said, “We just try to empower Longwood students and college students in general to stand up for the issues that are close to their heart.”
Lancers Vote can be seen tabling across campus, at events, and maybe in your classroom. When they’re tabling, they’re mostly focusing on voter registration, but are also open to any questions a student may have. “We’re there to be the middleman between the students and registering. So if they have questions, if they just need a little push, ‘like ‘hey, you trying to register to vote’,” said Holloway.
When they do presentations in these classes, the main thing they hear is, “[the students are] scared and they’re unprepared, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why they don’t want to go vote,” said Kiser. “We’re trying to change the stereotype that younger adults don’t vote, and I think that’s a good turning point.”
Kiser thinks one of the reasons young voters are scared to vote is because of the uncertainties of this year's election. “There are a lot of what ifs, so I'd just say do your research, find issues that are important to you, and vote the way that you believe in those issues. Vote for the candidate that believes the same way you believe,” said Kiser.
Holloway believes regardless of your opinion on the candidates on the ballot, and how scared you might be for the future, there is always going to be an issue that will affect you. “It doesn’t matter what your major is, whether you’re a teacher, or a nurse, there's some sort of policy that’s affecting your future career,” said Holloway.
Holloway votes for this main point, to honor past generations. “I tend to think about all of the people who came before me who haven’t had the opportunity to vote. So African Americans, Asian Americans, and women,” said Holloway, “I like to think like I owe it to them to use this, what seems like a small thing to us, but was like a huge thing to them.”
A consistent issue with elections in the US is voter turnout. Amidst the pandemic in 2020, it was a record high turnout year with 67% of registered individuals voting according to the United States Census Bureau.
However, turnout is still a concern. “[Turnout is] rough, especially among young students. In 2020, only 51% of people ages 18-29 voted in the presidential election. It's a bad situation because democracy only works if people are voting. That's like the fundamental aspect of democracy is that people have a say, so if you’re not voting, you’re damaging democracy,” said Holloway.
(Note: This article was originally published on December 2, 2024.)
