The following blog post was written by Elvis Guzman, director of civic engagement at City Colleges of Chicago.
So you’re thinking about voting in the 2022 election? Great! As City Colleges’ director of civic engagement, I want to make sure you’re ready to go come November 8, and National Voter Registration Day is the perfect day to do that.
National Voter Registration Day—recognized today, Tuesday, September 20, 2022—is a nonpartisan celebration that encourages people from all over the country to register to vote. According to the organizers, “nearly 4.7 million voters across all 50 states have registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day, including 1.5 million in 2020 alone.”
To mark the occasion and make registering to vote as easy as possible, each of our colleges will have a voter registration table set up on campus today. Why? Because we believe in the power of your vote—and it’s paying off. Five of our colleges—Harold Washington, Truman, Kennedy-King, Olive-Harvey, and Wright—were recently recognized on Washington Monthly’s list of “Best Colleges for Student Voting” based on our “repeated commitment to increasing student voting.”
Additionally, this year, City Colleges has joined more than 800 other colleges and universities around the country by committing to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. ALL IN provides an easy platform to register to vote and check your voter registration status. So, if you can’t make it to campus today, don’t sweat it—use one of the voter registration portals linked below to take the first step while showing your college pride.
- ccc.edu/haroldwashingtonvotes
- ccc.edu/trumanvotes
- ccc.edu/kennedykingvotes
- ccc.edu/malcolmxvotes
- ccc.edu/oliveharveyvotes
- ccc.edu/daleyvotes
- ccc.edu/wrightvotes
You can also show your power at the polls from home. Read these instructions to learn how to request a mail-in ballot.
The idea of making a difference through voting is exciting to me, and I’ve talked to so many students, staff, and faculty at City Colleges who feel the same. I hope you’ll join us by getting registered, telling your family and friends to register, and taking the pledge to vote (make sure to select your college’s name!). Your participation in the democratic process shapes our communities, neighborhoods, and nation as a whole.
If you have any questions, I’m here to help. Email me at eguzman67@ccc.edu.
Elvis Guzman is the director of civic engagement at City Colleges of Chicago, where he supports various civic engagement initiatives, including those centered around voter registration and social advocacy. Elvis serves on the Avondale Board Association, a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect neighbors and represent the common interests of community members among local council members and state representatives in regards to community development.
Elvis graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he majored in communications and Latino/a studies. He later earned his master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Miami.
