In 2020, the then-President of MiddVotes submitted an op-ed to The Campus arguing that Middlebury students should create a more robust culture of voting. It’s been four years since then, and as the current President of MiddVotes, I am proud to say that we not only has Middlebury a culture of voting, but we have been recognized by peer institutions for being leaders in civic engagement. Despite this success, students must continue to engage in state, local and national politics by voting, staying informed and interacting with the community opportunities available to them.
Since 2018, Middlebury has reported exceptionally high levels of voter registration, reflecting the combination of a politically engaged student body and MiddVotes’ civic engagement efforts, such as speaker panels, community debate watch parties and weekly voter registration drives. Through these events, MiddVotes has engaged with more than 500 students in the last two months alone, fostering a sense of community as students help each other register to vote and watch debates together in the Grille. It has been inspiring to see dozens of students approach our voter registration tables and ask for stamps to return their absentee ballots.
Not only has the student body exhibited great excitement for the upcoming election, but the college itself has been incredibly supportive of our efforts. From allowing us to share our Faculty Voting module — an informative guide to civic engagement that students can embed into Canvas — with every professor in the school to sending us to nationwide conferences, the school has upheld its commitment to civic education. We are thankful to the administration, faculty and college organizations like the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) for supporting us by funding our travel to the 2024 NESCAC Votes Conference, allowing us to rent vans and soliciting volunteers for our drives.
The 2020 MiddVotes op-ed spelled out a myriad of ways for students to engage in local, state and national politics. For example, MiddVotes regularly encourages students to attend the annual Town Meeting Day, which is an important pillar of Vermont politics where townspeople assemble to vote on and debate local issues. Professors of Political Science Bert Johnson and Sarah Stroup previously hosted a discussion session on the history of Town Meeting Day to encourage student attendance, and MiddVotes has shuttled students to the event to encourage participation. The op-ed ended with a plea to “not sit this one out.” Given the fervor, passion and participation I have witnessed while tabling so far — as well as the particular sense of urgency surrounding this election — I do not believe my peers will sit this one out. Many students here have already voted so or plan to do so on November 5, 2024. Individuals are more likely to vote when their peers plan to do so, leaving me no room to worry about whether Middlebury students will turn out to vote in what is likely their first presidential election.
MiddVotes invites students to continue to be engaged and excited about this election and politics beyond. On Nov. 4, we will hold our last voter registration drive for students who want to register to vote in Vermont, which students can do by virtue of attending Middlebury. Most importantly, we will be driving students to the Middlebury Recreation Center (154 Creek Rd) on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. so that they can vote in person. A driver, a retired staff member who volunteered to ferry students to polling places, will pick up MiddKids from Adirondack (ADK) Circle in a 15-person college-owned van at the beginning of every hour during this period. Afterwards, you can join us for a community watch party in Wilson Cafe from 7 p.m. to midnight, where Professor of Political Science Bert Johnson will provide election commentary as we follow CNN’s election coverage. MiddVotes hopes students will take advantage of these opportunities.
Middlebury students understand this, having taken the steps to make their voices heard on the national level. I am proud to go to a school where voting is not just a privilege, but a priority, and I am excited to see how many students turn out to vote on Election Day.
Daniza Tazabekova ’26 is the president of MiddVotes.
Daniza Tazabekova '26 is a News Editor.
Daniza is studying Political Science and English on the pre-law track. She is an Oratory Coach, Democracy Initiatives Intern, and a member of the Korean American Students Association (KASA). She was a Journalism Fellow at the Campus last year, covering news and local stories. She interned for a federal judge this summer and hopes to be a judge in the future.
