Fifteen UMRA members recruited by the University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) joined state and University of Minnesota leaders to facilitate “What’s Next for Voting? Still Marching Toward the Mountaintop,” a program co-hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and the Minnesota Humanities Center, on September 13. 

Held in the Mondale Commons at the Humphrey School, the goal was to bring together a group of people who care about voting, to inspire—and renew—a commitment to protecting voting rights and maximizing voting in all elections. 

The participants were a cross section of University faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the general public, nearly 100 in total including both in-person and online attendees.

The session was kicked off with a panel discussion featuring CLA professor of political science Michael Minta; Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon; and Michelle Witte, executive director, League of Women Voters of Minnesota. Kevin Lindsey, CEO of the nonprofit Minnesota Humanities Center, moderated the panel discussion. 

Minta addressed the historical struggle for inclusion guaranteed following the Civil War by the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. He also pointed out that still today qualified voters in parts of the country can wait in line for hours to cast their votes.

Simon stressed the need to develop cross-party partnerships “to ensure the voting rights of the youngest voters and the 55,000 formerly incarcerated people in Minnesota who are now eligible to vote.” He reminded participants that Minnesota has a long history of providing election materials to non-English speakers, including Swedish and Danish made available in the 19th century and Somali and Hmong in the 21st century. 

Finally, Witte presented the need for us to inspire the youngest generation to take to heart the responsibility of voting. She described pre-registration programs aimed at high school juniors and seniors that have resulted in 90 percent of participants casting their first vote at age 18.

The UMRA volunteers then facilitated small-group discussions with audience members, to consider issues raised by the panelists and a series of questions focused on what actions could be taken to combat apathy and misinformation and to increase voter participation. 

There were no lulls in the conversations across the atrium. 

A sampling of comments from the UMRA facilitators confirmed that the event did, indeed, spark enthusiasm and action among the participants. John Romano said, “The event was refreshing, with its focus on positive actions that we can all engage in regardless of one's political history/persuasion. I came away from the meeting motivated to explore opportunities to increase my activism during this political season." Mary Jo Kane indicated she would be door knocking to get out the vote in Wisconsin, and Peggy Mann Rinehart went home and registered to become an election judge. 

At the conclusion of the event, Amelious Whyte Jr., CLA interim director for diversity, equity and inclusion, expressed his delight at being able to access the talented pool of U of M retirees to support the program.

If you are interested in volunteering for future opportunities to serve the campus or community, please visit the URVC website or email Jerry Rinehart.

—Jerry Rinehart, URVC Leadership Council chair