Get Vocal, Vote Local Discussion Raises Voting Awareness

On April 20, 2023, Student Life and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted the Get Vocal, Vote Local discussion for students to learn more about local elections.

Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Kevin Lovaincy, started the event by acknowledging the barriers that many groups face when trying to vote and participate in local government.

"We must think about providing access and different methods of voting," Lovaincy said.

QCC's Student Trustee Collin McGuiness worked with Student Life and the Office of DEI to organize this event that aimed to take some of the mystery out of local elections and stress the importance of being involved in local government. McGuiness wants to study political science and noted that starting locally is vital to being involved and aware of what's happening in our communities.

Many of the participants on the panel said that running for local office requires fundraising, which can be a barrier to the average person, but it's important to persevere. They also noted that students are our future.

McGuiness introduced additional topics for discussion such as the role of young voters and student voters.

While some participants expressed regret for not getting involved in local government until later in life, they urged QCC students to continue to be involved after elections and hold officials accountable for the promises they made during election time.