Brownies and Ballots Event Helps Educate on Students on Voting

Loyola Votes hosted a panel Oct. 23 in Coffey Hall’s McCormick Lounge featuring different community leaders, who discussed the importance of voting while students enjoyed brownies and blondies. 

Sadie Walden, a third-year history and criminal justice major and one of the project managers for Loyola Votes, said she helped put the event together.

“It is good to foster discussions rather than just tell people they need to vote,” Walden said. “Students should have a chance to work through and understand why their vote matters.”

Walden said voting is a privilege in the U.S., while in other countries, having your vote isn’t a guarantee. 

There were four panelists, Dr. Tikia Hamilton, Eve Rodriguez Montoya, Jane Ruby and Kristine Mikulka, who each brought a different perspective to the conversation. 

Dr. Tikia Hamilton, a history professor, specializing in African American History, brought a historical approach to the importance of voting. 

She discussed the history of past instances of racially motivated voting restrictions, discussing barriers like poll taxes and literacy tests as well as less discussed aspects like targeted violence. 

Eve Rodriguez Montoya is the president and CEO of Rodriguez Media Communications Inc., a firm specializing in strategic communications and public affairs, as well as being a first-generation American. 

Rodriguez Montoya discussed how her motivation for getting other people to recognize their civic duty stems from having family who comes from Mexico where the vote isn’t as respected as it is in the U.S.. 

Jane Ruby, president of The League of Women Voters of Chicago, said she has experience working with campaigns and different advocacy committees. 

Ruby said she has always been excited by voting even when some of the people around her weren’t. 

“Part of my role is in my lifetime being a part of the progress and the change in a positive direction that other generations did before me and other generations will do after me,” Ruby said.

Kristine Mikulka, associate director of Digital Strategy and Product Management at CenterWell, a senior primary care network, said she began advocating for civic engagement after a mock election held in her kindergarten class stuck with her. She said she has looked forward to voting ever since. 

All four panelists emphasized how they see voting as a privilege which holds sway in the political sphere. Students in attendance also emphasized this idea.

All four panelists touched on misinformation and disinformation. Montoya and Milkulka, both having backgrounds in communications, said there has been an increase in the number of people using social media as their news source. 

Ruby said she thought people using social media to stay informed wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as they are willing to look deeper. 

“Democracy is a very precious sort of living creature,” Ruby said. “There are three important parts to being an informed citizen — paying attention and learning, exercising your right to vote, and holding your government accountable and making sure that democracy is working for all. It is a circle of informed participation.” 

The panelists also discussed the importance of not sitting out and watching the political process unfold from afar. Hamilton said her background in history has made her appreciate all of the progress which has been made for U.S. citizens to get a say in how the country is run. 

First-year political science and criminal justice major Charlotte Fithian said Hamilton’s notion of progress resonated with her. 

“I always like to think that voting is the bare minimum,” Fithian said. “Voting is something you should always do. It is what you do beyond voting and other ways that you can get civically engaged that can be more rewarding.” 

Ruby said when she speaks to students and other young people, they seem disheartened by the state of politics. She said she always reminds them their voices do have power, and said that voting is a form of power multiple times throughout the discussion. 

First-year nursing student Soliana Gidey said Ruby’s messages of unexpected power resonated with her. 

“We have more power than we think,” Gidey said. “To give someone else that power is a really big deal that can affect us in more ways than we think.”