News

On Saturday, September 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT., The Andrew Goodman Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to increase student voter participation and access to the ballot box, will co-host the “Alabama Voting Summit” with their Vote Everywhere campus partner, the University of Alabama. Student voting rights are under attack in the state of Alabama, and The Andrew Goodman Foundation is teaming up with the University of Alabama to bring together colleges and universities from across the state to create a voting plan for students in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election. 

“In this upcoming election, it’s essential that students have the information and resources necessary to place their vote without any barriers. As the Alabama state legislature and Secretary of State erect more barriers to student voting, we found it necessary to partner with the University of Alabama to host this summit to develop a comprehensive plan for every college and university in the state to ensure every student has access to the ballot,” remarked Alexandria Harris, Esq., Executive Director of The Andrew Goodman Foundation. 

“We are excited to bring together student teams from over 20 colleges and universities across the state of Alabama, all of them united by the common goal of helping students on their campus navigate the registration and voting process during these very difficult times,” mentioned Dr. Richard Fording, professor of Political Science and Andrew Goodman Campus Champion at the University of Alabama. “The voices of young people in Alabama are vastly under-represented in this state and these students are determined to see that change.”

“Student voting rights are in more danger than ever this year. The COVID-19 Crisis has changed the landscape of what voting will like on campus and in the state, and young people are going to have to work together closely as we navigate new problems and old problems that look very different than we were expecting them to. We’re excited at the chance to speak with and work with our peers from across the state and develop new ideas and strategies for making the voices of young people heard,” added Samuel Reece, a third-year student and Andrew Goodman Ambassador at the University of Alabama.

The voting rate among college students more than doubled from the 2014 to the 2018 federal midterm elections according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) conducted by the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University. The goal of the summit is to continue this positive trend and ensure that Alabama students have the means and accessibility to cast their votes in November.

Funding for this event came from a grant through the Students Learn Students Vote (SLSV) Coalition and underwritten by Facebook. Students who are interested in participating may register here.

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation 

The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s mission is to make young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy by training the next generation of leaders, engaging young voters, and challenging restrictive voter suppression laws. The Foundation’s Vote Everywhere program partners with America’s colleges and universities to provide resources, visibility, and mentoring to a national network of student leaders who involve their peers in participatory democracy through long-term voter engagement, public policy, and social justice initiatives. The organization is named after Andrew Goodman, a 20-year-old Freedom Summer volunteer, and champion of equality and voting rights who was murdered by the KKK in 1964 while registering Black Americans to vote in Mississippi. To learn more about The Andrew Goodman Foundation visit andrewgoodman.org.