The League of Women Voters of Lee County recently visited Florida Gulf Coast University to engage with students about their voting rights and offer guidance ahead of the upcoming general election.
Marsha Ellis, second vice president of the League of Women Voters of Lee County, was among those calling out to students passing by the league’s voter registration table. The league’s mission was clear—help young voters navigate the barriers that could prevent them from casting their ballots.
“The league is providing voter services so that we can have students figure out what the barriers are that might be holding them back from getting to the polls,” Ellis said.
FGCU senior Nick Rios will be voting for the second time this November. Stumbling upon the League’s table reassured him that people are actively promoting civic engagement on campus.
“I was just on my way to class, and it's kind of heartwarming to see that people are actively pushing our rights on us, giving us the information that we need to adore our civic duty,” Rios said.
Rios had been concerned about whether he could vote locally in Lee County, given that his permanent address is in another county. Fortunately, the league clarified that students could use their Eagle ID, along with proof of signature, to vote in Lee County.
Questions about valid identification persisted throughout the day, prompting Ellis to share a potential solution for the future—adding a signature feature to FGCU’s Eagle ID cards, enabling students to have all they need to vote at the polls.
Ellis also noted another obstacle students face: transportation to polling places.
With the South County Regional Library closed for renovations, the polling location for on-campus students is now Summit Church, which is just under a mile from FGCU.
While the university's transportation routes come close to the site, they don’t stop directly at the polling place. Ellis plans to propose the idea of shuttles to help students overcome this transportation barrier.
“Perhaps there could be shuttles that help the students get over that transportation barrier for voting and take them over to the polling place,” Ellis said.
Meanwhile, FGCU freshman Deshara Bagley had just finished filling out a League of Women Voters survey, which asked students to list their top voting issues.
For Bagley, reproductive rights, health care, and housing were at the forefront.
“They all kind of embody helping the little guy, people who don't have a say and can't really get their word out there,” Bagley said.
Biology freshman Madison Wells felt that the presence of the nonpartisan, nonprofit group on campus could inspire more students to vote.
“They're actually trying to, like, pull people in and make a connection with the students to figure out what they want,” Wells said.
Nancy Leverenz, the event coordinator for the League of Women Voters of Lee County, emphasized the importance of understanding election issues from a wide range of perspectives.
“I think we need to be more inclusive in our elections and our voting to make sure that the issues that are the most important to people are actually getting voted on,” Leverenz said.
Throughout the day, LWV representatives helped students register to vote and provided resources like Vote411.org, where students and others can check their voter registration status and learn more about candidates.
“It looks like we have a lot of engaged students here, and I'm impressed with that,” Leverenz said.
First-time voters who missed the opportunity to connect with league representatives on campus can still find valuable voting information on Vote411.org, where they can make a voting plan, check registration status, and learn more about the issues that will appear on their ballot.
In-person outreach like this allows the League of Women Voters to build relationships with the community and ensure that even first-time voters have the support they need to participate in the electoral process.
“The barriers are very specific, and they can only be tackled by having a relationship and hearing the perspective of the actual students,” Ellis said.
With the League’s ongoing efforts at FGCU and similar campuses across the country, students like Bagley, Rios, and Wells are empowered to take their civic duty seriously, addressing obstacles to voting one step at a time.
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