Register, Make a Plan, Cast a Ballot

As soon as you turn 18, you're eligible for a very special privilege: voting.

Political science students and faculty at Siena are working to get Saints registered to vote and cast their ballots in the 2026 midterm election.

A Voter Forum geared for first-year students was held October 7 in The Norm. Assisted by volunteers from the League of Women Voters, Saints gathered for a non-partisan presentation on voting in the U.S., with a focus on New York state. Emceed by Lydia Kyaw '27 and Kyle Carney '27, they guided attendees through the quick and easy voter registration process and taught how to check registration status and make a voting plan.

"We are the next generation of leaders, bringing new values, fresh ideas, and perspectives that deserve to be represented in politics," said Kyaw. "Registering to vote and then actually casting our ballots is one way we can turn our ideas into action and help shape the future we will inherit."

If you're looking to register to vote the deadline is Oct. 24 in NYS and MA; and Oct. 13 for NJ. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. You can vote in person that day; if you're going the absentee ballot route it must be postmarked by November 3.

There will be voter registration tabling on Monday, October 12 at the "A Republic, If You Can Keep It" talk during free period in the Norm South. There will also be other tabling and outreach activities on campus, including an event on October 23, as Election Day gets closer.

"To me, exercising the right to vote is of utmost importance because it demonstrates the best way to get involved in the democratic process of our government," said Carney. "We may not all have the ability to run for office, but we can dictate who is going to represent us by exercising a right often taken for granted."

Siena has earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation every year since 2018, and has been recognized by the All In for Voting Challenge for high voter turnout at the bronze level in 2018 and 2022, and the silver level in 2020. (Turnout rates for 2024 are still being calculated).

"I think voting is so important, especially for college students because this is the world and the government we are going to inherit one day," said Audra Rock '27 who chairs Siena's VFC chapter. "If we do not express our right to make a change through voting, then we will never make a difference in the world we will soon be entering after leaving college."

Rock stressed that it's not enough just to register - you have to make a plan to actually vote.

"Otherwise, you will never have the power to make your voice heard," she said.

Dan Lewis, Ph.D., professor of political science, is advising the students on their registration activity.

"We want to give all Saints the chance to make their voices heard in the upcoming election, but learning about the voting process can be challenging for first year students during this busy time of transition," said Lewis. "That's why we held an event exclusively for first-year students. We want to give them all the information they need to register and vote for the first time."