Harvard Votes Challenge taking it to the streets and campus
As students, faculty, and staff settled in for the new semester, they may have noticed a fresh and potent drive toward civic engagement on campus. Indeed, the newest members of the Harvard community, the Class of 2022, will fondly remember that their very first homework assignment came from President Larry Bacow himself at this year’s convocation — “to register, to inform yourself of the candidates and the issues, and then cast your ballot.” This all ties into the Harvard Votes Challenge, a nonpartisan, University-wide effort encouraging Harvard’s Schools to increase voter registration and participation among all eligible students. National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday. This challenge was inspired by the University of Michigan’s Big 10 voting challenge, and spearheaded here by Archon Fung, the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). “At the Kennedy School and at Harvard we talk about public service and public engagement. Voting is...