Montgomery College Celebrates National Voter Registration Day with Award-Winning MC Votes Initiative

To celebrate National Voter Registration Day, tomorrow, Sept. 17, Montgomery College is excited to highlight its award-winning MC Votes initiative, which has been instrumental in advancing civic engagement and promoting voter participation among students. This year, Montgomery College continues its commitment to empowering students and strengthening democracy through events and with the addition of ballot drop boxes on each campus for voting convenience and accessibility.

The on-campus ballot drop boxes are available in front of the Bioscience Education Center (BE) at the Germantown Campus, outside the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Services Center (SV) at the Rockville Campus, and in front of the Charlene R. Nunley Student Services Center (ST) at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus (North Pavilion entrance).

Last week, the College learned it had been awarded a Bronze Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) based on its 2022 campus voting rate from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVEnew window) report from Tufts University.  

MC Votes is a working group of faculty, staff, and students that encourages nonpartisan voter education, voting, and engagement at Montgomery College. The group implements the College’s voter engagement plan and meets frequently to support collaboration and cross-promotion of voter education and engagement at MC.

The MC Votes program, also recognized in 2022 with the "Outstanding Institutional Student Award" by the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE), has been a cornerstone of Montgomery College’s efforts to increase voter registration and voting on election days. The initiative has successfully mobilized student leaders through the MC Votes Student Ambassadors program, provided crucial information on voting, and facilitated accessible voter registration processes. As part of its efforts earlier this year, the MC Votes committee successfully worked with the State of Maryland and the Montgomery County Board of Elections to bring ballot drop boxes to each of the Montgomery College campuses for the College and wider community to use.

“National Voter Registration Day is a key moment for us to reinforce our dedication to civic engagement,” said Karla Silvestre, director of Community Engagement and co-chair of MC Votes. “Our MC Votes initiative not only helps students learn about their role in democracy but also provides them with the tools they need to participate in the electoral process.” 

To help implement its goals, MC Votes also applied for a grant from the state of Maryland last year, which resulted in a one-year assignment at the College for a Service Corps Member. In addition, MC Votes student Ambassadors do outreach with their fellow students regarding voting and civic engagement. MC Votes works with six to eight MC Votes student ambassadors per semester.

Events and Activities for National Voter Registration Day at Montgomery College

Student Life will host events on September 17 for students to get information about the upcoming election, check their voter registration status, play trivia, and enjoy some pizza.

• Rockville Campus: September 17, at 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Services Center (SV Atrium)
• Germantown Campus: September 17, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Location: Outside between Humanities and Social Sciences Building and Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard Student Affairs and Science Building
• Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus: September 17, 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Location: Charlene R. Nunley Student Services Center (ST Atrium).

For more information and voter resources, visit the MC Votes webpage or the Montgomery County Board of Elections at 777vote.org