Voter registration groups share campus canvassing experiences

Insomnia Cookies, Raising Cane’s chicken fingers and bracelets are just some of the ways that student groups are enticing Pitt students to solidify their voting plans. 

Sydney Oliver, a sophomore political science and economics major, is involved with Project 26, a nonpartisan group that is working to increase voter turnout. Oliver feels that including free items at Project 26’s table catches students’ eyes “immediately.” 

“I mostly go out to our daily tabling,” Oliver said. “We are usually outside of Cathy, and we like to give out stuff. I think as soon as they hear something as simple as just making sure you’re going out to vote, especially as a nonpartisan organization, students are a lot more engaged with our conversations.” 

Jocelyn Crowell, a sophomore history and political science major, said that voting is “the best way to exercise political power.”

“A lot of young people have a lot of grievances, and I think there’s a tendency to kind of shrink away from politics, when really we should be leaning into it,” Crowell said. “If we want change, you have to vote.”

Crowell is involved with Vote for Equality as a campus coordinator. She balances her time as campus coordinator between administrative work and getting students to pledge to vote, which entails sharing your voting plans with the group.

“There are so many groups on campus right now that I think a lot of people are really overwhelmed,” Crowell said. “A lot of people see ‘vote’ and think you’re registering me to vote. But what [Vote for Equality is] trying to do is get people to pledge to vote.” 

Vote for Equality has only recently started tabling, but Crowell said her favorite way to engage students is by having friendship bracelet-making supplies at their tables. 

“Everyone loves them, and they are super popular,” Crowell said. “They also get people to come talk to us for more than a one-second interaction.”

Stella Abrams, a junior biology major who is also the vice president of Project 26, said she feels the best time of the day to canvas is in the afternoon.

“Sometimes we’ll start tabling earlier, but people don’t want to talk to us that early in the morning,” Abrams said. “There will be foot traffic, but they don’t want to talk to us. I feel like by 3 p.m., people are getting out of class. They’re more relaxed, and it’s like a better vibe.”

Oliver said that being a nonpartisan organization is important because trying to influence students’ ideas “might scare them off.”

“We just want the young people to get out to vote. Pennsylvania is going to be the swing state of this election,” Oliver said. “Sharing the idea of voting with college students will help them stay informed into their future and form their own ideas. We don’t want to pressure students into thinking they have to go this way or another, giving the opportunity to have their own ideas and make their own decisions, but also be informed. It is just what we want to do.”