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AGF is continually celebrating ten years of impact with the Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere Program. As we reflect on how the program has grown, the Campus Team at Ramapo College of New Jersey reflected on the past nine years and their hopes for the future of civic engagement on the campus in Mahwah, New Jersey. 

Ramapo College of New Jersey has been an Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere campus since 2015! What barriers to voting existed on campus prior to 2015?

Our biggest barriers prior to the Andrew Goodman Foundation coming to campus, and even during its  first years, were New Jersey’s registration laws. At the time there was no automatic voter registration and absentee ballots were only approved with a valid excuse, making them much harder to obtain. New Jersey laws have come a long way making the process of registering and voting much easier, however we still have much further to go.

From what you know of how things were in 2015, when it comes to voting and civic engagement on campus, what are some of the most noticeable changes?

Two of the biggest changes have been:

1. Understanding that voting is important every year, and not just in Presidential election years. Students are more engaged in mid-term years and years with an election for Governor in NJ.
2. Students are engaging in opportunities to meet local, county, and state leaders. They are interested in meeting them when they visit campus and are participating in trips to Trenton to get a better understanding of the civic/political landscape in NJ.

How has the general campus’ perception of voting and civic engagement evolved since 2015?

The biggest evolution has been that encouraging voting is now something taking place campus wide. Rather than calls to participate in voting only coming from the Civic & Community Engagement Center, through meaningful Action Plan creations, there is collaboration with faculty- and not just faculty in political science. There are messages from the Dean of Students and the College President. It is a part of Orientation. There are efforts to share not only about Election Day but voting early and voting by mail. The entirety of the campus is engaged in encouraging and supporting students in voting.

How has your Campus Team reflected on the legacy of Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Freedom Summer 1964 over these nine years?

This past Spring semester, we hosted a 60th Anniversary of Freedom Summer Exhibit featuring a photo timeline of the Civil Rights Movement, a slideshow of prominent activists and political leaders, a display of protest posters, and authentic Andrew Goodman personal letters and documents recreated on an antique typewriter. Visitors had the opportunity to participate in Jim Crow Era voting test, button-making, enjoy light refreshments, and watch an interview with Robert Masters, a Freedom Summer Activist, moderated by our very own AGF ambassadors, Sydney Mattea and Sarah Glisson.

What are some ways that the Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere program has supported your efforts on campus to increase voter and civic engagement?

The Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere program has supported our efforts on campus by creating a consistent resource to turn to in order to achieve our programming goals. Our office has relied on Kaylee Valencia for information and connections including getting us in contact with Robert Masters last spring and being a resource to bounce ideas off of. AGF Vote Everywhere has also allowed us opportunities to connect with other AGF campus teams and stay in the loop via email blasts.

What are your hopes and dreams for what civic engagement will look like on campus four years from now?

Our main hope for civic engagement on our campus in four years is that through our efforts, it will become ingrained in campus culture, rather than an auxiliary resource. As students, we hope to make progress in having off on voting days built into the academic calendar. Moreover, we would like to see voter registration become a process included in our freshman orientation and other pre-semester training. Above all, we would like to see more expansive knowledge on behalf of students of AGF and the work that we do. We hope that in four years, our campus voter registration statistics will rise and that voting will be a civic duty celebrated universally by faculty, staff, and students.

What are the team’s main goals to increase and support voter engagement and turnout in 2024?

Our main goal is to increase AGF visibility on campus by partnering with a diverse range of clubs and organizations around campus. By increasing our co-sponsorships/partnerships, we would be able to expand our outreach and share AGF/voting resources with a wider variety of students. Moreover, we have already begun partnering with our college’s political science department, most recently hosting a Presidential Debate Screening that brought in around 100 student attendees. We will continue to be a present resource around campus by making voter registration resources available via tablings, bulletin boards, social media posts, and word of mouth.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Go vote!

Stay tuned as we continue our Campus Connections series, featuring each of our Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere Campus Teams, the impact made on campus, and how they are living the legacy during this pivotal point in our nation’s history.