On Oct. 16, the Dean of Students Office at Oakland University partnered with the Secretary of State (SOS) and OU Student Congress (OUSC), inviting students to enjoy Don Armando’s Taqueria’s Mexican food and to inform them about voter registration for the upcoming election.
The SOS mobile office helped students register to vote and informed them of the candidates and key issues on the ballot in preparation for the Nov. 5 election.
“The reason I kind of came, obviously not just for the wonderful tacos, but to kind of talk with members of the state and see what voting would look like for me,” Victoria True, a graduate assistant for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion said.
“Especially in the political climate that we’re in right now, I think that it’s so important for people to vote for what they think is best,” True said, holding her free order of chorizo tacos.
Though the weather was a bit chilly, the event was held at the entrance of the OU Credit Union O’rena, a high student traffic location where those exiting the Recreation Center could enjoy some freshly made quesadillas and tacos from Don Amrando’s food truck.
“Food connects everyone,” Carolina Valdes said after expressing her love for Mexican food. “I think [Taco ‘Bout Voting] should be done more often, honestly.”
Dr. Aura Casarez, assistant Dean of Students and director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, was one of the main organizers of the Taco ‘Bout Voting get-together.
“The Secretary of State’s mobile office is here today to answer any questions about voting, registering to vote, and the ways that people can make their own plan to vote,” Casarez said. “The Klein Center for Culture and Globalization and University Housing were definitely involved in helping us get access for students who live in the residence halls.”
The event is part of the campus-wide efforts to increase youth voter registration which have harnessed success at OU as the university maintained an 88.5% voter registration rate in 2022. The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), reported that nearly 57% of OU students voted, a 10% increase from 2018.
“A lot of times, people, if they are in other counties or maybe other states, don’t know how voting works when you live on a college campus, And so that was the goal today,” Casarez said.
Casarez highlighted the importance of including college students in these events because “college students are in a formative age where everything that’s being decided at any given time, whether it’s a local, state or federal election impacts [them],” Casarez said.
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), the For Michigan chapter at OU, and political student organizations have also been hosting events in collaboration with other on-campus and off-campus groups to inform and encourage grizzlies to vote.“Anything that has to do with your access to support systems certainly is your right, and our goal really is for people to be engaged so that you can make an informed decision when you decide to vote,” Casarez said.
For more information on voter registration, visit the Michigan Department of State website. To stay up to date with civic engagement events at OU visit the OU Events Calendar.
