Oakland University’s Kresge Library became a hub of civic engagement with a ballot-informing event on Oct. 23. OU Student Congress (OUSC) organized flyers and pizza to entice students to pick up voting information along with a tasty slice from Little Caesars in preparation for the November election.
“We think it’s really important to get people not only registered, but we want them to be informed voters too,” Ethan Lehman-Pace, OUSC director of the executive platform, said.
“We’ve partnered with a website called TurboVote and Student Vote,” Lehman-Pace said. “We have a QR code on one of our flyers, which [has] information on how to register to vote, but also information on what’s going to be on your ballot and where you can go to vote.”
Also partnering with Power the Polls, a nonpartisan initiative to recruit poll workers, OUSC presented a plethora of QR codes for everyone — those who already voted, whoever didn’t register to vote and those who wanted to participate beyond the ballot.
“Voting has been my pet project for like, three years now,” Lehman-Pace said. “I’m really steeped in a lot of voter information out here, and so Student Congress has always had a dedication to getting people registered to vote on campus.”
With cheese, pepperoni and sausage pizzas running out in two hours, students shared their thoughts on the importance of voting.
“I think it is a good idea that we get people to vote,” Jeronimo Contreras, an economics student, said. “There are many people who think their single vote is not going to change anything, but in reality, it is all about our future, it is about our student loans, our taxes — anything that is important for you in the future is on the ballot.”
Lehman-Pace also explained his involvement with the Fair Election Center, Secretary of State Advisory Task Force and the Center for Civic Engagement.
“I have a real passion for getting people civically involved and becoming informed voters, not just voters, but informed voters who are going to vote in the local elections, so that is what I came into Student Congress — that’s what I’m excited to do for my last year here in this very important presidential year,” Lehman-Pace said.
This presidential election of 2024, just as any before it, requires election workers in every county to support the operational tasks of the voting season. Election workers take on the responsibility of giving out voting information, issuing ballots, inspecting registrations and inspecting polls. Being one of them, Lehman-Pace recounted his experience as a poll worker.
“I love it, I really enjoy being a poll worker, I’ve done it since 2021 after I cast my first ballot as an 18-year-old, I immediately signed up to be a poll worker for every election after that,” Lehman-Pace said.
He has participated in special elections, midterm and local ballot proposal elections, recounting the seven-hour shifts helping staff and voters with the digital setup at the polls.
“I remember on Michigan’s primary day when Kamala Harris announced that Tim Walz was her running mate, so I remember watching every poll worker slowly learn that,” Lehman-Pace said. “I’m usually the designated computer person since I’m under the age of 67 and I know how to use a computer, so I’ve been able to be really helpful in teaching all of the other poll workers.”
For more in-person voter registration information visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. To sign up as a poll worker, visit the Michigan Department of State website.
