The St. John’s University Library and Vincentian Institute of Social Action (VISA) organized a voter registration drive for students on Oct. 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the D’Angelo Center (DAC) living room and coffeehouse.

The New York City Board of Elections set up a table at the event where students could ask questions about registration information, such as absentee and mail-in ballots. Students also had the opportunity to register to vote on-site, qualifying them for a “Johnnies Vote” cookie upon exit. 

“As an agency, we do outreach missions to make sure we are in communities where we can register as many people as possible,” said James Groenier, a representative with the Board of Elections in the City of New York. 

Gronier’s goal is “to make sure we’re getting as close to people as possible and that they can register [and] participate on the whole scale of our democracy.”

Benjamin Turner, the academic outreach and engagement librarian at St. John told The Torch that the University invited the Board of Elections to come at this time because of the fast-approaching registration deadline in three weeks.

Turner spoke of the challenges that come with convincing students, especially in New York, to vote.

“Students can be apathetic about it [elections], especially in New York State,” Turner said. “They feel like their vote doesn’t really matter, since it’s not a swing state.”

“What I have to try to get them to understand and think about is that when you vote, the election can really go anywhere. You’re also voting for different levels of government.”

He explained that while New York is a solid blue state when it comes to Presidential elections, there are still swing congressional districts, which votes can affect. 

“I think [the drive]  is really important because it gives more opportunity for students to learn more about voting rights,” said senior marketing major Ariana Rolon.

Alexia Dolamakian, the assistant director of social justice at the Vincentian Institute for Social Action, explained that the work at her department is one reason why she is pushing voting efforts at the University. 

“I feel that a big part of the democracy we live in requires participation, and a lot of the mission of the University relates back to Catholic social teaching,” Dolamakian said. “One of the items of this is that we, as humans, are meant to participate and advocate for those who are vulnerable in our community.”

Dolamakian also explained that she has noticed some students continue to feel discouraged to vote.

“There’s still a lot of voter suppression in many different ways,” Dolamakian said. “And there’s still this spectrum of perspectives of people that feel like it doesn’t make sense to vote.”

Dolamakian shared that some people simply don’t see change happening, which discourages them from voting. “I think all of these feelings are super valid  and I just want to validate that there are people who feel a certain way.”

While more voter events are not yet confirmed, the Board of Elections states that they are coordinating with the University for a potential second tabling event before the elections. 

For a full guide to voting registration and deadlines, click here.