VoteDeis Fall 2024 In Review
With the 2024 presidential election, a new generation of college students gained the
right to exercise their civil liberties through voting. Across the country, election-related tensions ran high, with emotions on all sides. Yet at Brandeis University, a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff chose to channel this energy into meaningful action, uniting the campus in support of voter participation and civic engagement.
The VoteDeis Campus Coalition, a nonpartisan coalition of Brandeis students, staff and faculty founded before the 2020 election, experienced a resurgence in the lead-up to 2024. Through a wide range of initiatives—from voter registration drives to thought-provoking academic discussions on politics to the iconic "VoteGoat"—VoteDeis worked tirelessly to make civic involvement both accessible and exciting for the entire Brandeis community. As Prof. Jill S. Greenlee (POL and WGS) shared, “We are working together to get members of our community engaged and ready to vote. We are talking about why voting matters in very concrete ways. We are helping folks build a lifelong habit of strong civic and political engagement.”
While every election brings its own divisions, VoteDeis served as a unifying force, transcending partisan and policy divides. The goal of VoteDeis was not to cater only to specific students with particular beliefs and backgrounds but rather to reach as many people as possible, empowering them to take initiative on the issues that matter to them.
"I have been very moved by the students who committed immense energy, creativity, and joy into this effort – without ever asking their fellow students who or what they would vote for, only how and when and where they would vote," said David Weinstein, Co-Founder and Coordinator of the VoteDeis Campus Coalition, and Assistant Director of ENACT. "These students have their own strongly held perspectives and opinions on the issues and the candidates, and many of them also actively support those issues and candidates, and yet they also dedicated significant time to our nonpartisan work supporting the right to vote and increasing access to the vote for all."
Peter Rojas, Director of the Intercultural Center at Brandeis, explained why the ICC collaborated with VoteDeis on so many events: “We knew the 2024 election was going to impact the identities of the students we serve to the core. It was also an opportunity to raise awareness about the election and help the Brandeis community understand the importance of educating themselves on policies that would directly affect their lives. I’ve always been told that if you are not turned on by politics, politics will turn on you.”
This collective effort across organizations, which created space for individuals to educate themselves and engage with the political system, helped cultivate an understanding of how voting and politics are directly connected to students’ lives.
Eileen Kell, Academic Administrator for the Graduate Program in Education and Women's and Gender Studies, also reflected on the impact of VoteDeis: “Participating, even in a small way, in VoteDeis as a staff member was a positive and energizing experience. My primary role was interacting with the Campus Post Office staff to make sure that student voters were aware of deadlines to mail their absentee ballots. VoteDeis provided great resources about registering to vote, absentee voting, and the electoral process. The enthusiasm, imagination, and hard work of the VoteDeis student leaders reminded me of why I work at Brandeis—students use their education for meaningful action. I hope that VoteDeis has helped turn first-time student voters into well-informed, lifelong participants in all levels of our government.”
In the midst of a busy academic season and election-related stress, VoteDeis not only encouraged students to vote but also nurtured a culture of informed, engaged and proactive engagement. Through these efforts, Brandeis was recognized by ALL IN as a Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. This recognition highlights the impact of VoteDeis’ efforts to inspire a generation of students to participate in the 2024 election and commit to long-term civic engagement.
Their efforts to bring the Brandeis community together, fostering a spirit of collaboration across diverse backgrounds, demonstrate how higher education institutions can support informed, active voters who are dedicated to shaping the future of policy and government in the United States.
Read more about the current work of VoteDeis and ENACT on their respective news pages.