GUEST COLUMN: Welcoming early voting on CMU's campus
An outstanding opportunity to strengthen civic engagement at CMU
By: Bob Davies
Central Michigan University students are known nationwide for their civic engagement, leadership and volunteerism. And, as an institution, our mission is to not only produce successful students and alumni, but to ensure they have a positive impact in their communities.
With the intentional efforts of our students, faculty and staff, CMU is routinely identified as a campus that has high student voter participation. It is a point of pride that demonstrates we are a community that cares tremendously — not only about each other, but also for our greater society and our collective future.
To continue our commitment to preparing engaged citizens, and to allow all students, faculty and staff an easy opportunity to participate in the democratic process, CMU will offer 9 days of early voting on campus ahead of the upcoming primary election on Feb. 27.
The early voting will be managed and paid for by the Mount Pleasant City Clerk, and will occur daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., February 17 to 25, in Powers Hall 136.
Early voting at CMU is open to all voters registered in Mt. Pleasant and Union Township.
We hope this will encourage even more of our students, faculty and staff to learn about the candidates and issues affecting them and, regardless of political beliefs, follow through with their civic duty to cast their ballot. After all, research shows that voting just once contributes to the development of a habit of voting in future elections.
We are living in politically polarized times. Discussions related to political issues have boiled over into threatening behavior on some university campuses in recent months. I am proud of our community for taking a much more constructive approach and keeping our political discourse respectful. Still, let me assure you that – as with all on-campus events and activities – we are taking steps to ensure a safe experience for our university community.
Early voting on campus is being done in partnership with Mt. Pleasant city election officials, and I appreciate their collaboration to offer this outstanding opportunity to our university community. One of CMU’s new strategic priorities is to form partnerships exactly like this to ensure a lasting impact, and this is progress toward that end.
I also would like to acknowledge and thank the members of the CMU Voter Coalition for their years of effort to engage our students in the voting process and to demonstrate the value of participating in democracy. Additionally, students have been active in civics and voting through the Central Votes student organization. This early voting opportunity is a direct result of their tireless, important work.
Early on-campus voting also would not have been possible without the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center and their Central Civics program. Their work to hold voter registration drives, discussions with elected officials and other educational sessions makes CMU a more informed and engaged campus.
Offering this early voting opportunity on campus helps us achieve our mission and vision, and contributes to our institution’s commitment to preparing global citizens. I invite each of you to make a plan to vote, whether it’s here on campus, by mail or in your normal polling place.
I truly believe offering opportunities to vote on campus demonstrates the ability of our institution to further develop students’ voting skills and prepare them to be the leaders in their communities that we envision.
Bob Davies has been president of CMU since 2018 and will remain until the end of 2024.
