Civic SL/CEs and Their way to Engage Students in our Democracy

Civic SL/CEs is a non-partisan group that is heading a voter registration initiative on the University of Central Oklahoma campus for the upcoming election on Nov. 5.

The group believes that everyone needs to engage in the process of sustaining our democracy. They’re providing students with resources to make voting more accessible.

 Emmi Ferguson is the student who started Civic SL/CEs.

“When I was a freshman, I came into the Nigh, and there was a voter registration table right, you could register to vote on campus and it was really easy and they would send it in, and eventually you’d get your voter registration card,” said Ferguson. “I signed up and sent it in, and I got my card, and I was like oh my gosh; I’m 18, I have my card, I can vote now. But the vote came around, and it was a different job, but I was still working full time, had classes in the morning and worked at night. I also didn’t have a car so I couldn’t get to my voting location, and I didn’t have the time to go to my voting location.”

Ferguson described how the same thing happened the next election cycle, and that’s what prompted them to realize the problems with voter education and accessibility.

“I started Civic SL/CEs not to just register people to vote, which is already a part of campus but to also inform people about who they’re voting for and get them out to polls,” said Ferguson.

Roughly 50% of young people, aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2020 presidential election, according to a Tufts University study.

 “There is a really big deficit in youth voting especially, and I want them to be able to start now and make sure that their voice is heard. I mean it’s our future that we’re fighting for,” Ferguson said.

 Civic SL/CEs are providing resources to encourage students to vote. First, they are partnering with the debate team, and they have already helped students watch the presidential debate and have information on the candidates such as their views and values. They’re also trying to get the “League of Women Voters” to speak to students. They want to partner with as many groups on campus as possible to help get what students are passionate about out there and if it’s an issue that will be on the ballots, inform them on those issues. They are also trying to set up carpooling where they have different cars to take students to different polling places. The MidFirst bank of campus is offering to notarize absentee ballots if students bring them in. Lastly, they want to inform international students of what’s going on, but also not get them in trouble because if they aren’t U.S citizens they can’t vote.

 Elizabeth Overman, a political science professor, helped with Civic SL/CEs. 

She said, “I began to do some research and looked at what’s going on with students who are voting across the board and across the country and learned that the lives of students are so different from the lives of faculty and staff on campus.”

Overman goes on to describe the balancing act students have between school, work and personal responsibilities. 

“We need to go deeper, and therefore, we’re trying to, we’re trying to reach more students, but we’re also asking the faculty to take this up across campus,” said Overman.

Overman talked about the importance of faculty talking to students about voting and how it has a greater impact rather than just having flyers on a table. She also said that there will be early voting at Mitch Park, and since the Citylink goes right by there, that is one option that makes voting easier for students.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 11. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is Oct. 21. Early voting is from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, and the election is on Nov. 5.