No one should have to traverse obstacle after obstacle to become a voter and participate in our democracy. Yet, in 2024 – arguably the most pivotal election year of our lives – the voting rights of students, staff, and the surrounding community at St. Edward’s University are at risk.
Currently, there is no early voting location at St. Edward’s. While the university purports to teach students to “act ethically and strive for social justice,” the administration’s refusal to establish an early voting location on the campus is directly impeding the community’s ability to honor their civic duty.
We are students trying to be as civically engaged as possible. We are eager to make our voices heard at the ballot box. But this right remains inaccessible on our own campus. With busy schedules running from class, to work, to extracurricular activities, students rarely have time to leave campus to vote, let alone have the transportation to travel off-campus. When they can quickly cast their ballot between classes or on the way to lunch, the likelihood that they vote dramatically increases, sparking lifelong patterns of civic engagement.
That’s why, during the summer of 2023, students from the Texas Rising chapter at St. Edward’s began to advocate for an early voting location on campus. We testified at the Travis County Commissioners Court and corresponded with the county clerk to coordinate an effort to secure the polls at Austin colleges and universities, and the commissioners responded overwhelmingly positively – which is why we were shocked when St. Edward’s was not chosen as an early voting location for the election of November 2023. After reaching back out to the commissioners, we were told that St. Edward’s administration declined the opportunity to host early voting without consulting their students or staff – effectively disenfranchising countless voters on campus and in the surrounding community.
We were met with resistance and excuses after meeting with the St. Edward’s administration. Instead of working with students and staff to creatively problem solve – another value expressed on their website, which states they are “creative thinkers and problem solvers” – they shot down suggestions to make hosting an early voting location easier. Still, students and staff have taken action to show their support for this initiative. More than 120 students and staff have sent emails to our administration demanding early voting. Despite growing support from students, faculty, and staff, the campus administration continues to reject our initiative to secure St. Edward’s as an early voting location for the March 2024 primaries.
While the administration at St. Edward’s may have the best intentions, they’re suppressing our voice whether they see it that way or not. Young people, especially young people of color, make up an overwhelming majority of new voter registrations in Texas, and Texans of color are the most impacted by voter restrictions. Considering St. Edward’s is a Hispanic Serving Institution and some students from Huston-Tillotson, an Austin-area HBCU, are currently living in St. Edward’s dorms, the administration’s actions actively target and impact the most historically underrepresented students and staff.
Students are being deprived of their voting power by the St. Edward’s administration’s refusal to work with students, staff, and the county in establishing an Early Voting Location on campus. Voting should be easy, and it is the responsibility of both our elected officials and community leaders to ensure greater access to the ballot box. The Travis County Commissioners Court has done its part, and we demand that the St. Edward’s administration does theirs by finally committing to being an Early Voting Location for 2024 elections.
Mya Barrera and Cindy Cuellar are St. Edward’s University students and student leaders with Texas Rising. They’re fighting tirelessly to get the University administration to approve an early voting location for the March 2024 primary on campus. This is vitally important as the youth vote will decide this election.
This article appears in January 19 • 2024.