election
October 15, 2020
Survey shows 96% of GC students are registered to vote
More than 90% of Goshen College students are registered to vote in the 2020 presidential election and an overwhelming majority of those students are pledging to cast their ballots for the Democratic candidate and former vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to a survey administered to GC students who are eligible to vote. The survey found 82% of respondents planning to vote for Biden and 11% for the Republican incumbent, President Donald Trump. About 7% of students said they were undecided, uninterested in voting or opting for another candidate. “A thriving democracy depends on voter turnout,” President Rebecca Stoltzfus...
September 30, 2020
How to Vote – IN registration deadline is Oct. 5
Did you know there is still time to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election? Whether you are from Indiana or out of state, there are simple ways for you to cast your vote. Live in Indiana? The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 5. Print out and complete the attached PDF of the registration form and mail it back to your Indiana county of residence or register online through the Indiana Secretary of State’s website. Copies of the Indiana voter registration form are also available in the Student Life Office (first floor of Wyse Hall) during...
October 2, 2019
Goshen student voter turnout doubles
In a recent study coming out of Tufts University, schools across the nation nearly doubled their voting turnout among students between the 2014 and 2018 midterm elections. And on Sep. 19, GC found out they were no exception. The data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed spikes among all demographics, but none quite as drastic as that of college students. “It’s really a stunning comparison between college students and the rest of the United States populations,” Nancy Thomas, director of Tufts Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, was quoted saying in an article published by The Washington Post on Sep....
October 2, 2019
City council breakdown
On Tuesday, Nov. 5th, elections will be held for all Goshen government officials. The Goshen City Council is made up of seven common council members, five of which represent districts and two of which are members at large. Currently, three out of the five district members are Republicans and two are Democrats. At-large members include Julia King, Democrat, and Brett Weddle, Republican, both running for re-election. The council is governed by Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman. Each member of the council is elected for a four-year term, the current term concluding Dec. 31, 2019. City government works on the local level,...
October 2, 2019
A guide to voting in Goshen
As November draws closer, so does the City of Goshen municipal election. But if you’re planning to head out to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5, you must be registered to vote. In Indiana, you must register to vote at least 29 days before the next election. In order to vote in the upcoming municipal election, you must register by Monday, Oct. 7. Even if you happen to submit your voter registration after Monday, Oct. 7, you may still be able to vote, but only if you were previously registered in Indiana, according to IndianaVoters.in.gov. If you’re planning on voting...
November 7, 2018
Students to exercise right to vote for the first time
In Tuesday’s midterm election, many Goshen College students decided it was time for them to make sure their voices were heard, resulting in many first-time voters. Cara Wilson, a sophomore at Goshen College and one of these first-time voters, was unsure about registering until she went to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to renew her permit. The official at the Indianapolis BMV simply asked Wilson if she would like to register to vote. Surprisingly, Wilson said, she did not have to fill out a lot of forms, making the voter registration process a quick one. “All I had to do...
November 2, 2018
Students to exercise right to vote for the first time
In this midterm election, many Goshen College students have decided it’s time for them to make sure their voices are being heard, and the first step is voter registration. Cara Wilson, a sophomore at Goshen College and first-time voter, was unsure about registering until she went to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to renew her permit. The official at the Indianapolis BMV simply asked Wilson if she would like to register to vote. Surprisingly, Wilson said, she did not have to fill out a lot of forms, making the voter registration process a quick one. “All I had to do...
November 2, 2018
Mennonites shift political involvement
Bob Buzzard, 74-year-old resident of Greencroft Communities in Goshen, said his parents were wary of the polls. “When I grew up, we were not allowed to vote,” explained Buzzard, who was raised in a traditional Mennonite household where faith and following the tenets of the church almost always took precedence over political participation. It was not until the 1960 presidential election, when the Democratic candidate, John F. Kennedy, defeated the Republican nominee, Vice President Richard Nixon, that Buzzard’s parents decided to break from tradition. They voted for the first time, in middle age. In the heat of the Vietnam War,...
November 2, 2018
Voting guide for college students
Older Americans have historically voted at higher rates than younger Americans. During the 2014 midterm election, for example, only 12 percent of eligible college and university students between the ages of 18 and 21 voted. For the population as a whole, the rate was three times that rate, at 37 percent. Voters attending college out-of-state are required to complete additional steps in order to cast their vote, further discouraging some students from getting to the polls on Election Day. Chad Crabtree, chairman of the Elkhart County Democratic Party, understands that people, especially college students, sometimes feel as if their vote...
November 2, 2018
Registering to make a difference
With the national political climate as tense as it is, the Goshen College chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) chose to jumpstart their campus presence this year with an all-campus voter registration drive. The registration, organized by AAUW leaders Marris Opsahl, Nasim Rasoulipour, Lexus Garces and Gi Salas, took place in stations across campus on Oct. 1 to encourage students to be “politically engaged” and vote in the upcoming midterm election. “I only had four or five people register with me,” Opsahl said, “but that is pretty standard . . . Most people I talked to were...
November 2, 2018
Steury seeks a blue seat on County Council
For decades the Elkhart County Council has allocated funds, levied taxes and carried out its other business with one striking imbalance: all its members have been Republican. But a former staff member at Goshen College’s Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center in Wolf Lake, Paul Steury, plans on changing that. Steury is running against a Republican incumbent, Darryl Riegsecker, who represents the 3rd District. Riegsecker could not be immediately reached for comment. Steury believes that the majority of residents in Goshen do not know who the County Council members are. He wishes to change that, both before the election and afterward,...
November 2, 2018
High voter turnout expected for GC students
Approximately 83 percent of Goshen College students are registered to vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 6, according to an email survey, with 56 percent of respondents “absolutely certain” that they will vote, and 59 percent of students have voted before. The percentage of students who are fully committed to voting suggests a high level of Goshen College political engagement in this election. In the most recent midterm elections, in 2014, only 12 to 14 percent of eligible college or university students voted. “I feel like voting is not only a right but a responsibility, especially as someone who...
November 17, 2016
Purple safety pins show solidarity
In the days following the presidential election, Richard Aguirre wanted to do more to support vulnerable people. Aguirre, the director of corporate and foundation relations, purchased purple safety pins to sell for 25 cents on campus. He encourages students and faculty to wear the pins to show support for Latino students on campus as well as other marginalized groups. Students can stop by his office in the basement of the Administration Building to pick up a safety pin. There they will also receive a card that explains what the safety pin represents. The card reads, “By wearing this Purple Safety...
November 10, 2016
A convocation aimed at healing and hope
Tears and frustration filled the Church-Chapel on Wednesday as students and faculty gathered to discuss the results of the presidential election. Provost Ken Newbold opened the convocation, saying that he hoped words of healing and reconciliation would come from the panelists: Jordan Waidelich and Alma Rosa, both seniors, and Ben Wiebe, a third-year student. “[We are here to] find a way to unify and find a way to come together and provide a place for conversation,” Newbold said. Waidelich began the discussion, pointing out the anger that has consumed this election. “We can’t ignore all of the pain and anger...
November 8, 2012
Obama re-elected for second term
President Barack Obama won re-election to the White House for a second term on Tuesday evening. Polls predicted Obama’s victory over Republican candidate Mitt Romney as early as 11:12 Tuesday night. Although news stations aired footage of voting booths and cheering crowds in large cities, Goshen College’s campus felt the effect of a historical election as well. Some native Indiana students endured the lines of local voting polls, while many other students voted through absentee ballots. Carrie Smucker, a senior from Pa., voted for the first time through an absentee ballot. “It was empowering that my voice was heard...