The University of Mississippi Voting Summit, created by junior Katelyn Winstead and sophomore Caroline Leonard, will commence tonight with a dinner at 6 p.m. in Bishop Hall. The dinner will include a keynote address by Nancy Thomas, Director of Tufts University’s Institute of Higher Education and Democracy.
The UM Voting Summit aims to educate students about several facets of voting and legislation. The theme this year is “Buy In, Don’t Sit Out! Democracy, Voting and You.”
The event is sponsored by the UM Andrew Goodman Foundation, the UM Society for Blacks in Political Studies and the Freedom Fellows with the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom.
Interested students can register on the ForUM. Free dinner and breakfast will be provided for those who register.
The event’s founders, Winstead and Leonard, are both campus ambassadors for the Andrew Goodman Foundation. Winstead also serves as president.
Winstead, a public policy leadership and philosophy major, got the inspiration for the summit after attending leadership conferences at the community college she attended before Ole Miss.
“When I became involved with the Andrew Goodman Foundation I wanted to do something similar to a leadership conference but more focused on voting and the importance of civic engagement,” Winstead said. “I realized that college students get into political debates all of the time, but rarely discuss the importance of voting and I wanted our AGF team to help stimulate that discussion.”
Winstead and Leonard, a international studies major, started the planning process by themselves. Both students said the process was difficult, but worth it.
“We were able to work with her amazing idea to make a campus wide summit where students and groups from around the state who work in both voting advocacy and other areas affected by legislation to come and present their ideas all in one place,” Leonard said.
To get ideas, they met with a team from Mississippi State that had previously held a virtual voting summit. The pair was joined by graduate student Bailey Durfey in January. The Center for Community Engagement assigned Durfey to take over and form a planning committee.
“Bailey has been a huge help, and the planning was a lot more succinct once our committee came together,” Winstead said.
Winstead said she hopes the summit will show students that their vote can have significant impacts, especially on local and state level issues.
“I think that many students don’t believe their votes really matter or don’t realize the effects that civic engagement has on our day-to-day lives,” Winstead said. “Organizing, protesting and other advocacy initiatives can never truly make a difference unless the votes reflect those initiatives.”
Winstead said she is excited to see students and faculty come together and learn.
“I can’t wait for the discussions that we’ll have in our breakout rooms, and I hope that everyone leaves with new perspectives and knowledge through respectful and engaging conversations,” Winstead said.
Saturday’s event will be a series of breakout sessions from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Several campus organizations will hold presentations providing information about civic and voting issues.
Participating organizations include League of Women Voters Oxford/North Mississippi, UM Voting Ambassadors, UM Andrew Goodman Foundation, Young Americans for Freedom, Associated Student Body, UM Declaration of Independence Center Freedom Fellows, UM Society for Blacks in Political Studies, Period@UM, UM Environmental Coalition and Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy and Higher Education.
Leonard is participating in the UM Andrew Goodman Foundation presentation and said she looks forward to hearing the other presentations.
William Teer, the Assistant Director for Student Leadership Programs, said the event is an opportunity to teach students about why their voices matter.
“The 2022 University of Mississippi Voting Summit is a chance to gather together and learn more about the value of voting, civic engagement and how we can all be active in the democratic process,” Teer said.
Teer emphasized the importance of representation when discussing voting rights.
“I’m very proud of the work our students have done to include this representation of different ideas and causes,” Teer said.
