A poster encouraging students to register to vote
Tucker Reilly // The Bona Venture
Reillyt19@bonaventure.edu
BY: TUCKER REILLY, ADVISORY EDITOR
Election season is in full swing at Bonaventure. The 2022 midterm elections officially take place on Nov. 8 but students around campus have been politically involved for months now.
“I think participation in elections is important because you need to make your voice heard,” said Michael Seitz, a senior sports media major. “Whether you want something to change or you like how the country is run you have the right to vote for who and what you believe in. Everyone should take advantage of an opportunity that not everyone around the world has.”
Alongside individual activism, there are clubs for the two major U.S. political parties – Republican and Democratic – at the university. For the past several months, both parties have been active on campus in support of their respective candidates.
Natalie Merrill, a sophomore history major and president of the College Democrats club, described the goals and activities of her organization.
“College Democrats is obviously a political club but we don’t just sit around and talk about politics,” said Natalie Merrill. “To me, it’s more important that we do things than just that. We’ve done phone banks… and a Café Damietta event with College Republicans about the importance of voting.”
Saidy Bolya, a sophomore marketing and political science major, is the president of the university’s College Republicans club. Bolya described her club’s efforts throughout the midterm election cycle.
“Right now, we have been focused on the NYS gubernatorial election. We have helped the voter registration drive and worked with SBU Democrats on that event in the Damietta center,” said Bolya.
At each college, freshman classes bring a new wave of voters into the electoral landscape. Bonaventure is no different, as the two clubs have been active in voter registration.
“I think that we’ve done a really good job emphasizing the importance of voting this semester. A big faction of our club are freshman, so I think that their presence alone indicates that we’ve been able to reach out to new voters and get them registered and politically involved,” said Merrill.
Merril described new tools and strategies that the political clubs on campus have been utilizing this election season.
“We’ve utilized our Instagram account to make registering to vote and requesting an absentee ballot as easy as clicking a link. Also, that Café Damietta event with College Republicans was a reminder to everyone there of the importance of voting and I think it encouraged more people to register and apply for their absentee ballot.”
As for Election Day itself, the two clubs are not holding in-person events, although both will be active in the days surrounding. Merrill named several gatherings centered around helping students understand key races.
“We have a phone bank that the Cattaraugus County Democrats are hosting for us at their headquarters on Friday to try and secure as many votes as possible in the last few days before the election,” said Merrill. “The Monday before election day, we have a meeting scheduled and I plan to center the meeting around… what key races to watch.”
Merrill explained that many of these events were focused on first-time voters, who may not have paid as much attention to previous races.
“The goal of these meetings is going to be to teach people what they should be looking for on the news. I know election day is overwhelming, especially for those of our members who are new in politics or have never watched an election,” said Merrill.
Bolya said that College Republicans will be continuing to hold weekly meetings and that the club would be paying attention during election week.
“We’ll be meeting and discussing current events, as we normally do,” said Bolya. “Our meetings are on Thursdays and I don’t think we will be doing anything for election night.”
For many Bonaventure students, the midterms are only the first or second election they are eligible to vote in. Mackenzie Nolan, a junior strategic communication major, explained how participation in this election was personally important.
“I’m voting this year and I think it’s very important for anyone who is eligible to take that step,” said Nolan. “We are our government, in that we choose who takes that place for us. I made that choice.”
The Bonaventure community appears to be making this choice, bringing a new generation of voters into the fold and encouraging participation in American government. The results will appear on Nov. 8.
reillyt19@bonaventure.edu
