HWS Votes is a non-partisan group of student leaders devoted to voter registration and the continuous education of the Hobart and William Smith and Geneva communities. We instill a sense of civic duty in all citizens through active participation in the democratic process.
Through the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, HWS Votes works with politically-oriented groups on campus, from the College Republicans and the College Democrats to Americans for Informed Democracy and the Progressive Student Union, to maximize student participation and understanding of the electoral process.
HWS Votes began during the 2004 presidential election and was coordinated by the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning and The Joseph P. DiGangi Endowed Chair in the Social Sciences, Coordinator and Professor of Public Policy Studies and Professor of Political Science Craig Rimmerman under the direction of Jane Erickson ’07.
Initially called the HWS Votes Project, activities were organized as a part of Erickson's independent study. After the success of the project, the leaders petitioned the Colleges’ respective student governments for permanent club status in the spring of 2005.
During the 2004 election, the HWS Votes mobilized more than 100 student volunteers and registered more than 300 HWS students to vote. By the end of the initial project, HWS Votes had registered 95% of those students who were not previously registered to vote.
The campaign was conducted in three phases: voter registration, education and Election Day. Volunteers provided polling information, conducted absentee ballot drives and organized an intensive follow-up survey. Articles about the project were featured on the front pages of the Finger Lake Times and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as well as in various student publications. It was also featured on the cover of the Hobart and William Smith College Pulteney Street Survey.
For a copy of the HWS Votes constitution or the independent study regarding the 2004 HWS Votes Project, please serve@hws.edu.
For more information about HWS Votes or to get involved, e-mail serve@hws.edu.
Download a registration form or learn more about registering in your state online at:
Learn more about the issues and the candidates running in various local, state and national races online at:
