On Oct. 6, guest speaker Ryan Veatch, chief external officer at the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, spoke with students at Kirkwood’s Voting 101 event, answering questions about the voting process and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running an election.
Veatch explained the role that the Secretary of State’s office plays in elections, especially when it comes to election security and making sure the county’s polling locations remain accessible and safe. He explained it is responsible for making sure that polling locations follow laws, such as complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act which ensures voter accessibility.
It also helps strategically determine where polling locations should go and where backup locations should be placed in the event of a natural disaster or an emergency. In addition to that, it helps train polling precincts to be ready for every possible scenario.
But if there is one lesson Kirkwood students should take from Veatch, it is of the importance of actually voting.
“In your community, the impact that you can have is to vote, not only on the general election, the national elections, those kinds of things, but your local school boards, your local voting for county auditors,” said Veatch. “I feel like sometimes individuals feel like they just don’t have an impact or that their vote isn’t going to matter, but I always say to get involved in your community and to register to vote and participate in that process.”
Finn Kolsrud, professor of sociology and adviser for Kirkwood’s Civic Academy Club, gave his perspective on why college students should participate in the elections.
“A lot of students feel that voting is something that people who are ‘really interested in political debates’ do.” Kolsrud said. “However, I like to remind folks that voting is something that all American citizens do because policies that are put in place affect everyone regardless of their interest in politics.”
Kolsrud further promotes the importance of voting as a young person because many issues affecting college students have some basis in policy, but decisions based on those policies are being made by older generations who routinely outvote younger generations, leaving the younger generations with less of a say in the policies that directly affect their lives.
Both Veatch and Kolsrud emphasized the importance of voting not only on the national level but on the local level, where your vote will likely hold more weight. On this topic, Kolsrud said, “Voting does matter, especially local elections that can be determined by a small number of votes. Local governments make decisions that affect us day-to-day.”
Toward the end of his conversations with students, Veatch gave some final advice for voters in the upcoming elections to be prepared and informed. “Make a plan,” he said. “Find out where those satellite locations are. Get your voter registration updated. Do all those things in advance so you know exactly what you’re going to do on election day.”
Categories: News
