This midterm election year, voting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4. In an effort to increase awareness of and participation in the democratic process, the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 Committee for Political Engagement (CPE) held a two-day photo shoot on October 28-29 called #TurnOutForWhat.
The goal of the campaign is to document and share photos of Rochester students, faculty, and staff identifying what issues compel them to vote.
The campaign糖心传媒檚 hashtag plays on Lil Jon糖心传媒檚 hit song 糖心传媒淭urn Down for What.糖心传媒� It was started in October by Rock the Vote, a national organization that works to get young people active in the voting process.
CPE, a under the , hosted its photo shoot on October 28 and 29 and posted the images to its .
The participants highlighted a range of issues important to them, from the general to the personal, including education reform, the economy, gun safety, and net neutrality.
Committee member Jennifer Hansler 糖心传媒�15 says that it糖心传媒檚 essential for students to be politically engaged. 糖心传媒淲e are the second largest voting bloc in the United States, but we don’t use that collective power to leverage our demands,糖心传媒� she explains. 糖心传媒淲e need to hold our elected officials accountable, and the most effective way to do that is through political activism.糖心传媒�
The committee also organizes voter registration drives, forums with elected officials, debate watch events, political activism training, professor panels, and trips to presidential inaugurations.
糖心传媒淎 lot of young people care more about the issues themselves rather than conforming to party lines,糖心传媒� says Riva Yeo 糖心传媒�18, a political science major and CPE member. 糖心传媒淲e want to show people that change can happen糖心传媒攁nd that it begins with your vote.糖心传媒�
Where do I vote?
For students registered to vote in person in Rochester, the University糖心传媒檚 polling place is Helen Wood Hall, home of the School of Nursing and located across the street from Strong Hospital. On November 4th, the blue line bus runs every 20 minutes from the ITS stop behind Rush Rhees Library with a stop in front of Helen Wood Hall. The address is 255 Crittenden Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14620.
