Arcadia Votes, the nonpartisan initiative from Civic and Global Engagement, has revealed a full schedule of programming leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election, with reflection groups meeting in the weeks following.

The Arcadia Votes initiative, which partners with Arcadia’s Department of Historical and Political Studies (HAPS) and the Department of Athletics and Recreation, emphasizes the importance of democratic engagement and ultimately encourages students to register and vote for their preferred candidate.

Programming kicked off on Sept. 10 with a watch party of the evening’s Presidential Debate in Landman Library’s Beaver College Room. The event was complete with snacks, drinks, and debate bingo cards.

“The debate was a lot of fun actually,” said sophomore Politics, Government, and Law major Zachary Horner. “I didn’t have very high expectations going into it, but it was amazing. We had a huge crowd, the room was full with people going out the door and there was incredible energy throughout. We also had a lot of great discussion, especially during commercial breaks when we had debriefs.”

On Sept. 17, Arcadia Votes celebrated National Voter Registration Day in The Chat from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. where students could check their registration status or register to vote, learn about and request mail-in ballots, and enter raffles to win t-shirts and stickers.

“College students are the demographic that vote the least; we’re seen as very apathetic and that we don’t care that much, but we want to change that narrative,” added Horner. “Arcadia has higher than average voting rates and I like to attribute that to the work we do here. We have this bipartisan group that anyone can be a part of or come to our events. We have a really great team here and with Civic and Global Engagement.”

Upcoming Arcadia Votes events can be found below:

Pennsylvania Student Voting Summit

Sept 20, 8 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. in Harrisburg, Pa.

A unique opportunity for students who RSVPed to this nonpartisan event to engage directly with elected officials and explore Pennsylvania’s State Capitol. It is designed to empower students, educators, and civic leaders, and to address barriers to student voting while fostering valuable networks for civic engagement. Learn more about the experience here.

Arcadia Votes Midweek Meetups

Sept. 25, Oct. 9, Oct. 23, Nov. 6, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Landman Library Lower Level

Join graduate student facilitators and other interested students in the Landman Library for open discussions on current events. A safe space to share your point of view!

Civil Discourse in the College Classroom: Creating and Maintaining Brave Spaces and Inclusive Dialogue

Sept. 26, 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Commons Great Room

Moderated by Provost Rutenbeck and featuring a panel of Arcadia faculty – Christopher Cerski, Angela Kachuyevski, Ellen Skilton, Stephen Tyson – and two undergraduate students, this panel is focused on first-year students and first-year seminar instructors to help our new students navigate civil discourse in the classroom, especially during this presidential election. Panelists will explore how to create and maintain a safe and respectful environment in the classroom; how to invite students to share their different perspectives but also encourage them to view issues through a lens other than their own; and how to use framing and language to generate engaging, respectful discussions.

Vice Presidential Debate Watch Party

Oct. 1, 9-10:30 p.m. in the Landman Library Beaver College Room

After the success of the Presidential Debate Party, the Arcadia Votes committee is planning another Debate Watch Party for VPs. Stay tuned for more information but expect more snacks and bingo!

National Voter Education Week

Oct. 7-11

National Voter Education Week is an open-source, nonpartisan voter education campaign. During this week of interactive education, voters have the opportunity to find their polling location, understand their ballot, make a plan to vote, and inspire others to get involved. Together, we can help voters overcome common barriers to become confident voters and ambassadors of voting in their own communities for every election.

Why Pennsylvania Matters Most in this Election

Oct. 8, 6:30-8 p.m. in the Commons Great Room (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

An evening panel discussion in the Great Room about why Pennsylvania is so important in the presidential election with Chestnut Hill Rotary Club as community partner. Panelists: Angelique Hinton, executive director of PA Youth Vote; Farah Jimenez, executive director of the Philadelphia Education Fund for eight years, political analyst on 6ABC and on the Inquirer’s opinion pages, and board chair of Broad + Liberty; Samuel Katz, historian, filmmaker and political analyst focused on Philadelphia. He was the Republican nominee for mayor in 1999 and 2003 but has since affiliated as both a Democrat and (currently) an independent; Amy Widestrom, political scientist and executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania.

Fun ‘til One

Oct. 10, noon to 1 p.m. on the Commons First Floor

Students are invited to come to the chat for surprise voting-themed snacks in addition to, of course, getting more information on registering to vote, mail-in ballots, what is on your ballot, polling places, and more.

Pennsylvania Voter Registration Deadline

Oct. 21

Today is the last day to register as a Pennsylvania voter! Be sure to register here!

Vote Early Day

Oct. 29, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in The Chat

Come by our table at the Chat for mail-in ballot support and general Q&A about Voting to celebrate Vote Early Day.

Election Day

Nov. 5

Arcadia Votes will provide shuttles to the polls. Stay tuned for details!