The Student Activities Center (SAC) Plaza was teeming with students, community members, faculty and staff as Stony Brook University’s Center for Civic Justice (CCJ) hosted a National Voter Registration Day drive.
Fraternity and sorority life chapters and student clubs tabled alongside a variety of activities, crafts and a barbecue on September 16, turning the SAC Plaza into a hub for civic engagement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
More than 320 students checked in, and while many were already registered to vote, they stopped to ask questions about polling locations, what was on the ballot and how to make a plan to vote.
The drive combined practical voter support, like on-site registration and address changes, with a community-focused atmosphere that underscored Stony Brook’s commitment to make participation in democracy accessible to all and consistent beyond just presidental election years.
Ashley Liegi, associate director for the department of Student Community Development, explained that this drive can be an introduction into elections and civic responsibility.
“A lot of our students, this is the first time that they’re ever voting,” Liegi said. “We’re here to make sure students have pathways to vote and participate in democracy.”
The CCJ partners closely with new student orientation, introducing incoming students to voter registration and civic engagement as a standard part of starting college life.
“Doing these events throughout the semester is just really important reminders so that students know that we’re here as a resource,” Liegi said. “They have the option to register to vote on campus if they live on campus, and it’s important for them to participate.”
For students who want to stay involved beyond the plaza event, the CCJ maintains a dedicated Why Midterms Matter web page, part of its Midterm Elections 2026 Guidebook.
“It has really everything that you would need to know,” she said, emphasizing that if students have questions, they can always go there, or they can visit the office or reach out via email.
Rianne Vijaya Kumar, a CCJ intern, said events like National Voter Registration Day show students that their engagement has real consequences.
“When you vote for a certain candidate, you have to have sustained policies,” Kumar said. “That’s going to affect the schools, buildings… but also climate.”
She added that it’s especially crucial for students to recognize the power of their participation.
“I think it’s really important for younger voters, especially, to be involved in that,” she said, “because staying updated and making sure that your vote gets in, and them just like knowing that their vote matters, I think is super essential.”
Several civic and politically focused fraternities and sororities tabled alongside issue-focused groups, including SBU Democrats, Turning Point USA and College Republicans, giving students the opportunity to find groups that align with their interests.
Their presence highlighted the range of political perspectives represented on campus while reinforcing that the day itself is open to all.
“Our center is nonpartisan,” Liegi noted, “but if there are students that are interested in getting more involved in more partisan leaning, or they want to get involved in a specific party, or they care about specific issues, I always connect them to our student orgs because they’re a great way to get involved.”
For Kumar, the event’s social atmosphere is part of what makes civic engagement feel approachable to students who might otherwise feel intimidated or disengaged.
“Also just kind of like staying updated and getting involved, you get to learn about every single aspect and every single perspective within the same age group,” she said.
While the day’s atmosphere was festive, the focus remained squarely on removing barriers to voting. For college students, those barriers are often logistical and can be enough to discourage participation without targeted support.
“There’s a lot of barriers to voting already, and a lot of students face some of those even more so than the general public,” Liegi explained. “Especially with things like changing their address, making sure their on-campus address is even written correctly so that they can register to vote.”
At the tent, CCJ staff and volunteers helped students register to vote for the first time, check or confirm that their voter registration was active and up to date, understand how to vote early and key deadlines ahead of the 2026 midterms and get answers to questions about polling locations and what’s on their ballot.
“We serve as like a relationship between our students and the Board of Elections,” Liegi said, “so that if they have questions, we can make sure that they’re registering to vote, and that step is at least taken care of.”
This year’s drive is part of a broader semester-long effort to help students understand the stakes of midterm and off-year elections, where changes in the House and Senate can have major consequences for issues students care about.
“We’re trying to make that connection between, it’s not just every four years where it’s really important,” she said. “We’re trying to get students to understand that the midterm off-year elections are equally as important.”
The goal, she added, is to harness student passion and translate it into consistent, informed participation.
“We know that our students are really passionate about a lot of things,” Liegi said. “Making the voting process as simple as possible, so that they can take that passion, turn it into action, and actually vote on Election Day, is why we do these types of events.”
— Lily Miller
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