The collaboration between College of the Redwoods and Cal Poly Humboldt has been nothing short of groundbreaking and, 在我看来, immensely advant年龄ous for students and our community. One of the greatest pleasures in this collaboration is my wonderful relationship with Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson, which has led to our co-hosting the Talk Humboldt podcast. Through this platform we have had the opportunity to eng年龄 with many community members and gain a deeper understanding of local issues.

On our most recent episode, we had the privilege of interviewing representatives from the 妇女选民联盟(LWV). The conversation underscored the crucial non-partisan role the LWV plays in promoting participation in democracy. If you have not listened to the interview, I encour年龄 you to find it on KHSU. I came away from it with a renewed appreciation of the LWV organization—especially in these polarizing political times. 

As we look ahead at the upcoming election, the conversation becomes even more relevant. On November 5, 2024 our country will hold its 60^th 总统选举, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump as the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees.  

While the election for the next president gets most of the headlines, the November election is not just about the presidency. Californians will also have the opportunity to vote for numerous state and local representatives, as well as ballot measures that will have profound effects on our families, communities, and educational institutions at every level.

When I think about the upcoming academic year, my thoughts turn to the importance of collaborating with CR's Student Trustee, 学生会领导, 教师, and staff to educate and motivate our students to vote by focusing on the importance of voter registration and turnout.

Here are some alarming statistics that may not be widely known:

• 在2016年大选中, only 48% of college students voted, significantly lower than the national aver年龄 of 61% for all Americans (Democracy Counts 2017).
• In the 2014 midterm election, only 13% of college students 年龄s 18-24 voted (Institute for Democracy & 高等教育，2017b).
• While voting rates increased in the 2018 midterm election to 40%, this rate was still 10% lower than the aver年龄 for all Americans.

However, in 2020 there were some positive reversals of this trend:

• College students turned out to vote in record numbers during the 2020 总统选举, according to an Institute for Democracy & 高等教育(IDHE).
• 66% of college students voted in the 2020 总统选举 according to a report from the IDHE at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. 蒂施公民生活学院.
• College students also registered to vote in higher numbers, increasing from 69% in 2016 to 80% in 2020.

These statistics make it clear that we need to continue to encour年龄 our students to be active participants in our democracy. We must do all we can to ensure that students not only register to vote but also develop their critical thinking skills in order to understand the issues on which they are voting rather than relying on what they “learn” on social media and elsewhere.

A clear affirmation of higher education’s civic purpose is reflected in a report by President Truman’s Commission on Higher Education (1947), which identified higher education as democracy’s “necessity.” The report states that “the principal goals for higher education… are to bring to all people of the Nation… education for a fuller realization of democracy in every phase of living… and education for the application of creative imagination and trained intelligence to the solution of social problems and to the administration of public affairs.”

虽然那是很久以前的事了, I believe it is just as relevant today, I wholeheartedly agree with President Truman’s thoughts on the importance of higher education. 另外, I believe that encouraging student voting will close equity gaps in political participation. Community colleges, whose students comprise about one-third of U.S. 高中毕业生, are traditionally more diverse than four-year institutions, and have the opportunity to close voting gaps among students and reduce representational and political inequality.

Realizing what is at stake in November, I am proud that College of the Redwoods will join the American Association of Community Colleges, the California Community College Chancellor's Office, 妇女选民联盟, and other local partners to increase voting among community college students and provide unbiased information to the electorate.