Colleges and Universities Should Encourage Student Voting
Preview:
Long before we were university leaders, we were teachers. Our courses changed from year to year as our students and the world changed, but one thing remained consistent: we assigned homework.
If you are leading a college or university right now -- or if you are making the academic year possible as a member of the faculty or staff at any one of our nation’s institutions of higher education -- asking something more of your students in the midst of a global pandemic may seem impractical. But one assignment cannot wait. We urge you to encourage your students to register to vote, to become informed of the issues and the candidates, and to cast a ballot. Every election, whether it determines the occupant of the nation’s highest office or provides funding for local schools, is an opportunity for individuals to affirm and uphold the democratic process. Voting is not only a right -- it is the first responsibility of citizenship.
Originally published: September 21, 2020
Author: Lawrence S. Bacow, Rebecca M. Blank
Position: President, Chancellor
Institution: Harvard University, University of Wisconsin Madison
Published by: Inside Higher Ed