News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2018

(Upper Saddle River, NJ)—On Friday, August 17, 2018, the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections announced the J. Wayne Reitz Union at the University of Florida (UF) will serve as an early voting site for the 2018 General Election. This victory represents the culmination of years of effort by our Vote Everywhere team at University of Florida to bring early polling to campus. The creation of this early voting site will make voting more accessible for over 50,000 students.

As co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit to bring early voting to public college and university campuses in Florida, we are thrilled to see our efforts, and those of the students in our Vote Everywhere program, pay off with this exciting news. We credit the work of the UF Vote Everywhere (VE) team, who began the battle for on-campus early voting, and VE Alumna and Andrew Goodman Foundation Puffin Democracy Fellow, Megan Newsome, and VE Ambassador Jaime Roy, who are serving as co-plaintiffs with us, the League of Women Voters, and four other students in the lawsuit.

“The dedication shown by our Vote Everywhere team was impressive,” says Karena Cronin, The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s Vote Everywhere Program Director. “After identifying a voting barrier, they met with legislators, organized stakeholders on campus, and reached out to the media. When these avenues did not deliver success, they became involved in a lawsuit, which changed the Secretary of State’s unconstitutional interpretation of the state’s early voting law. This victory shows the difference the Vote Everywhere program can make and is a remarkable example of student civic engagement.”

The creation of this on-campus early polling site is a tremendous step towards full and equal voting rights for students in Florida, but there remains work to do. “The team’s next challenge will be to educate students about the new polling site and generate excitement over the election,” says Cronin. As we congratulate our Vote Everywhere team on their victory, we remain confident that their continued efforts will drive student voter turnout for the 2018 Midterm Elections.

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation

Established to continue the legacy of Andrew Goodman, a civil rights worker murdered during Freedom Summer 1964, The Andrew Goodman Foundation partners with America’s colleges and universities through its Vote Everywhere program which provides student leaders with a platform to register and mobilize voters, organize campuses, and collaborate with their peers.

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CONTACT:
Justyna Krygowska, Communications Director
Justyna.Krygowska@andrewgoodman.org