Informed Voting: Vote411.org and UD’s “Make It Count” Initiative

The much discussed mid-term election is almost here but some may wonder how to get accurate information on candidates.  College students can also face unique voting challenges.  This week Campus Voices talked with Kim Wells of the New Castle County League of Women Voters about their Vote411 website, and UD student Gillian Williams who is involved with the “Make It Count” campaign of the Biden Institute.

Wells describes the kinds of information available on the Vote411 website and walks host Rich Campbell through some of the site’s local voting information on a laptop.  She relates how voters can see and compare candidates in their specific elections and print out a sample ballot, and the process of asking questions of and getting answers from candidates.

Williams discusses the challenges faced by college students in voting such as transportation and having enough time to vote. She shares her passion for getting students involved through the “Make It Count” campaign of UD’s Biden Institute, which has a mission to “increase voter registration and non-partisan civic engagement across the University of Delaware campus and the state of Delaware.”

We also talk about the good and bad points of social media relating to politics, and  various attitudes that keep people from participating in elections, like “my vote doesn’t count” and “voting for a third party is a wasted vote.”

Listen to the Interview

About Our Guests

Kim Wells is the 2018 Vote 411 Coordinator for the League of Women Voters of Delaware. She’s been active in the New Castle County League since May 2017, and wants every voter in Delaware to visit www.VOTE411.org!  Ms. Wells retired from her career position as a Database Analyst for a New Castle Consulting Firm in late 2016. She lives with her husband in the Glasgow area south of Newark.

Gillian Williams is a junior Public Policy major at the University of Delaware and is from Schwenksville, PA .  She has a passion for motivating other students to vote through the “Make It Count” initiative.

Links

Vote411 website
“Make It Count” campaign of the Biden Institute
League of Women Voters of New Castle County
State of Delaware Department of Elections

Credits:
Rich Campbell: Host, producer, audio editor
Bill Barnett: Web page editor