MC Votes Brings Ballot Boxes to Montgomery College Campuses

In anticipation of the 2024 electoral season, the MC Votes committee worked to bring ballot boxes to each of the Montgomery College campuses for the College and wider community to use. In advance of the Maryland primary elections, held on May 14 (and early voting, which ran from May 2 through May 9), ballot boxes were delivered to the campuses to make voting convenient for students and anyone near the MC campuses.

“It’s the way of the future. A lot of people are going in that direction” said Karla Silvestre, director of community engagement at Montgomery College about early and mail-in voting. “You can request your ballot, then take your time to research the candidates, fill it out and, when ready, drop it off. You can find a box conveniently located on your campus.”  

Ballot boxes were available in front of the Bioscience Education Center (BE) at the Germantown Campus, outside the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Services Center (SV) at the Rockville Campus, and in front of the Charlene R. Nunley Student Services Center (ST) at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.

MC Votes is a working group of faculty, staff, and students that encourages nonpartisan voter education, voting, and engagement at Montgomery College. The group implements the College’s voter engagement plan and meets frequently to support collaboration and cross-promotion of voter education and engagement at MC.

To help implement its goals, MC Votes applied for a grant from the state for a Maryland, which resulted in a one-year assignment at the College for Service Corps Member Shannon Roundtree. Roundtree helps student ambassadors do outreach with their fellow students about voting and civic engagement. MC Votes works with eight to 10 student ambassadors per semester.

“Students themselves get educated about the voting process, and then they tell others by providing information on campus and by asking professors to speak to students in individual classes,” Silvestre said.

Katya Aliev, an MC Votes student ambassador and second-semester student, got involved with MC Votes because she wanted to help voters get informed about local candidates. She plans to major in business management and minor in law.

“I think there is a lot of focus on the presidential election and rightfully so, but I really wanted to give people more access to information about local elections because that’s really where your vote makes the biggest difference, and that’s the biggest impact you actually feel,” Aliev said.

Asamara Husein, another student ambassador, is working toward a public health degree, transfer to a four-year institution, and a career that helps to decrease health disparities. She decided to help the MC Votes program reach students because of the political instability that threatens democracy in her home country, Bangladesh.

“It’s exciting to be here and see people excited about voting in a free and fair election, Husein said. “I generally believe in the ideals of democracy and everything that it stands for, and voting is basically the foundation of it. Especially when you come from a country where you know it’s not there for you.”