The HWS Votes Organization consists of a non-partisan group of student leaders, devoted to the continuous voter registration and education of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, as well as the Geneva community—as required by the Higher Education Mandate of 1998. We would like to help instill a sense of civic duty among students through active participation in the democratic process. In no way is our voter education partisan, platform, or candidate oriented. Our goal is to work with other politically oriented groups on campus to maximize student participation and understanding of the electoral process. HWS Votes is run through the HWS Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, with the assistance of director Ave Bauder.
HWS Votes began during the 2004 presidential election and was coordinated by the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning and Professor Craig Rimmerman, under the direction of Jane Erickson ’07, and a dedicated executive committee. Initially called the HWS Votes Project, activities were organized as a part of an independent study. After the success of the project, the leaders petitioned the colleges’ respective student governments for permanent club status, becoming the HWS Votes Organization in the spring of 2005.
During the 2004 election, the HWS Votes Project executive committee mobilized over 100 student volunteers—registering over 300 students at HWS to vote, as well as members of the Geneva community. The campaign was conducted in three phases: voter registration, education, and Election Day.
HWS Votes registered 95% of students not previously registered, provided polling information, conducted absentee ballot drives, and an intensive follow-up survey. Articles were featured on the front pages of the Finger Lake Times, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, various student publications, and made the cover of the Hobart and William Smith College’s Pultney Street Survey.
For a copy of the HWS Votes Organization constitution or of the independent study research paper regarding the 2004 HWS Votes Project, please email Jacqui Sands at: serve@hws.edu.
If you would like to become involved with the HWS Votes Organization, or have any questions, please contact us!