On February 3, 2024, the Women’s Center will host the fourth annual Elect Her event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the May 4 Visitors Center at 鶹ý. The event is an interactive one-day training program that educates college students on the value of having women and marginalized voices in politics.
Many students hesitate to get involved in student government because they feel unprepared or misunderstood. Through this program, students learn how to run for political office, have confidence in their voice, and trust themselves as leaders. Elect Her will discuss the present disparities between the high percentage of women in college vs. the low percentage of women in executive positions in student governments.
At Kent State, prior to Elect Her, there were only two women Undergraduate Student Government presidents. Since the program started in 2019, there have been four in a row. The program aims to understand why a variety of voices, experiences, and identities are needed in a political setting and will teach students the skills needed to run a successful student body campaign. Students will also learn how to communicate with voters on campus effectively.
The 2020 Elect Her program featured Kent State alum and current Congresswoman Emilia Sykes. Hearing from women who hold a political seat today allows students to be encouraged by their voices and work outside Kent State. Many students have gone through the Elect Her program and learned a great deal of useful skills.
“The Elect Her program showed me that I belong in politics, which gave me the confidence I needed to run for office on and off campus,” said Tiera Moore, Kent State alum, former President of Undergraduate Student Government, and current Vice President of Kent City school board.
The Elect Her program was proposed by a Women’s Center intern and has been additionally supported by the May 4 Visitors Center, the League of Women Voters of Kent, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the Department of Political Science. The Women’s Center hopes to continue this annual event for years to come.
There are still a few seats available. All are or email wc@kent.edu with any questions.