Miami Dade College is Making Democracy Count!

Last Monday, during Constitution Day, the Miami Dade College in Miami, FL hosted a series of events in all of its campuses highlighting the importance of voting during elections. Students were then gathered at Wolfson Campus, the school’s Downtown Miami location, at the college-wide event “MDC Making Democracy Count Rally to Vote”.

Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President of Miami Dade College, gave an introductory speech at the event, where he elaborated on the importance of making Millennials’ voices heard in the community by exercising our right to vote. “Do you want to keep your financial aid benefits? Are you interested in the decisions affecting your education?” were among the questions he asked students to make sure they registered to vote during the event.

According to recent polls, only 60 percent of eligible Millennials in the school are registered to vote, which is why Dr. Padrón, along with presidents of the Student Government Association from different MDC campuses, stressed registrations and expressed they would like to see at least 99% of the eligible population voting in November.

Teaming up with Harvard and Columbia universities, Miami Dade College partnered up with TurboVote on this massive voter registration campaign that convened hundreds of students and locals who got the chance to dance, eat, interact and register to make history, and make democracy count. The service is specifically designed to help people in registering to vote, making the election process easier and more accessible.

Mobilize.org was also present at the event, and we had the chance to help students register, and hear from Millennials on some of the reasons why they thought voting was important.

Francisco Ortega, an MDC student, says that he votes “because it is my way of shouting out loud”, while Simon Mathios simply explains that “it is the right thing to do”. Other students, such as Ericka Goncalves, believe in voting because they support the public education. Or in Keralyn Martinez’s and Kimberly Daly’s case, just because they want to make sure they continue going to school by having access to the Federal Pell Grant program, among other financial aid benefits.

It’s a wonderful experience to be surrounded by enthusiastic students willing to make their voices heard and have a say in their futures. If you haven’t registered yet, stop waiting for the right time and do it now. Just visit http://bit.ly/VoteMobilize, fill in the blanks, print your registration form and mail it. Our goal should be to make democracy count in the elections, so go for it!