League of Women Voters engages Delaware Tech students
On National Constitution Day and National Voter Registration Day, representatives from the League of Women Voters Sussex County dispersed information to students at Delaware Technical Community College in Georgetown.
Approximately 75 to 100 Delaware Tech students stopped by to talk with members at the registration and information table.
While most participants were already registered to vote when they got their driver’s license, others promised to register through VOTE411.org or other online resources.
The league’s immediate goal is to involve more young people in the democratic process. In 2022, only 16% of voters aged 18-20 and 17% of those aged 21-29 voted in elections. Meanwhile, 72% of voters ages 65 and above made it to the polls.
Responses to a survey devised by the league’s voter service committee indicated that issues of greatest importance to students were housing costs and student debt, followed by jobs and the economy, and the environment. The issue of least concern to students at Delaware Tech was voting rights and access.
Students volunteering to take a constitutional quiz appeared to be fairly well informed. In all, 73% percent correctly answered that there are 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, 82% correctly responded about the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote (19th Amendment), 73% correctly responded that 3/4 of states must approve a proposed amendment for it to be ratified, 59% correctly responded that the term of office for a senator is six years, and 64% correctly chose 1971 as the year when citizens under the age of 21 gained the right to vote.
The league’s voter services committee offers resources to all Sussex County residents to encourage civic engagement and participation in the elective process. The committee’s outreach programs include voter registration and voter education opportunities aimed at arming residents with the tools they need to feel empowered and make informed election decisions. The goal is to increase Sussex County voter turnout to improve representative democracy, because democracy cannot be a spectator sport.
