VoteSU pushes to amplify students’ political voices, civic engagement
VoteSU organizers hope to increase Syracuse University students’ voter registration rates and civic engagement. President Kempton Bohn said she’s noticed a stark disconnect between students and politics. Taite Paradise | Staff Photographer
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As Kempton Bohn sat in one of her honors courses at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a conversation with an Oasis program student from Fayetteville revealed a stark disconnect between campus and community life.
“(Oasis students) were all super involved in local politics, so I’d always have conversations with them about it,” Bohn said. “It was so interesting to me that there was such a disconnect between the greater Syracuse community and our campus, especially with local politics.”
She said interactions with SU Oasis members – adults over 50 years old enrolled in SU courses through the Oasis Institute – led her to realize the need for building bridges between students, local politics and the wider Syracuse community.
Bohn, president and co-founder of VoteSU, said through collaboration with on-campus organizations, the club hopes to create a nonpartisan space for those passionate about political efficacy.
Working alongside Co-Founder and Vice President Thalia Benton-Dinneen, the pair established VoteSU in August 2025 to increase voter registration rates and civic engagement both on and off campus.
“The root of our whole entire project is to bring back community, so that people feel like they have a say in what’s going on around them,” Bohn said.
Previously known as the “Cuse Otto Vote” Student Government Association’s Board of Elections initiative, Benton-Dinneen and Bohn decided to create a formal RSO. Both continue to serve on the Board of Elections as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively.
VoteSU hosts biweekly meetings on Mondays and aims to create a hands-on, entertaining and educational environment for all members. So far, the group has hosted two interest meetings, tabling events at Schine Student Center, a voter registration training session and a trip to the Syracuse mayoral debate.
Benton-Dinneen said new members don’t need prior experience with voter registration drives to participate.
While still in the works, Bohn described the club as taking a committee format, with members selecting to serve in one of four task areas: voting guides, management and expansion, event planning and communications.
“We’re very open to suggestions and want it to be a club that’s more fun, focusing on working in committees to grow a hands-on experience,” Benton-Dinneen said.
Drawing from the club’s SGA origins, the Voting Guide Committee focuses on voter registration and outreach. Bohn said the committee will teach students how to use mail-in and absentee ballots.
VoteSU hosted its first Guide to Voter Registration training in collaboration with New York Public Interest Research Group’s SU and SUNY ESF chapter on Oct. 6. The meeting trained new members, preparing them to participate in future voter registration drives at local high schools and on campus.
Benton-Dinneen said one of VoteSU’s goals for the remainder of the year is to do outreach with local high schools and raise awareness about pre-registering to vote after turning age 16.
For members like SU sophomore Julia Beckman, attending meetings and participating in VoteSU helps her find an outlet for safe expression. She said today’s political climate is polarizing and these organizations can help students feel “more empowered.”
“(VoteSU is) really important, especially because it’s non-partisan,” Beckman said.“It’s a space where people can feel comfortable going to ask the questions that they want to without feeling like they’re going to be judged by someone because of their political views.”
With the upcoming New York state general election, Benton-Dinneen said VoteSU has taken an active role in encouraging its members to get involved and learn more about the issues the city faces.
She said familiarizing themselves with the Syracuse mayoral candidates and how they plan to serve the city is the best way to stay educated. Bohn echoed that sentiment, saying it’s “really interesting” to see the lack of civic engagement among students as an activist herself.
“Bridging that gap has been hard because I’ve always been involved in politics, and even though I have this want to get other kids civically engaged, it was a big step to see, ‘Oh, wait, there is this big gap that actually needs to be addressed,’” Bohn said.
