Fordham Campus Ministry organized resident assistants to walk students to polling locations to facilitate voting in Tuesday’s presidential election.
Campus Ministry worked closely with The League of Women Voters for New York City, an organization dedicated to promoting political engagement.
Anaisa Gorbea, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’27, is one of the student volunteers working closely with The League of Women Voters for New York City to encourage members of the Fordham community to vote.
“I volunteered with the League of Women Voters for New York City and Campus Ministry was involved with that. So after working the table in the plaza this past week, we just helped volunteer to then walk students over,” Gorbea said.
Yolanda Bansah, FCLC ’28, a Fordham student poll worker at a location near campus during Tuesday’s general election, said she wanted to share her opinion on why voting matters.
“I’m voting because at first I was thinking like, ‘oh, I’m just one person. My vote doesn’t make a difference.’ But then I realized if everybody else is thinking that then we’re just going to have a situation where not enough people are voting,” Bansah said.
Bansah emphasized the value of voting in a community-oriented environment, highlighting how such a setting can inspire greater civic participation.
“I think it’s really good because I just feel like people really need to understand the importance of voting and doing it in a group setting. I feel like it really encourages you to get out and vote and I don’t, yeah, regardless of who you’re voting for, it’s really important to vote,” Bansah said.
In the months prior to election day, Fordham held tables and allowed posters on campus encouraging students to register to vote. At a press conference with student newspapers, University President Tania Tetlow emphasized the school’s commitment to political participation.
“I am hoping that we can hit as close to 100% voter turnout as possible,” she said.
Campus Ministry facilitated student voting, which supported Tetlow’s wish and reinforced the University’s history of encouraging students to participate in democracy.