Sewanee Votes! Constitution Day Event

In commemoration of Constitution Day 2023, Sewanee Votes!, the Office of Civic Engagement’s voting initiative, hosted a “Dessert and Democracy” event where a group of 30 students engaged in conversation centered around individual’s values as they relate to the Constitution and our current political state in the US more broadly. 

Context of Constitution Day

Voting is a pillar of democracy, but there are many personal and social barriers that may make it difficult to cast a ballot. Additionally, the Constitution plays a vital role in our government, but it can also seem inaccessible. In celebration of Constitution Day, Sewanee Votes! wanted students to discuss their thoughts around voting, specifically looking at how the Constitution can secure or impede our voting rights. Constitution Day is honored to recognize the adoption of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.  Because of this, Sewanee Votes! wanted to recognize the relationship that exists between voting and the Constitution.

The Event

This installment of Sewanee Votes!’s “Dessert and Democracy” event series offered a casual environment in which folks could have a conversation about topics related to Constitution Day. Rather than debating, the goal of our conversations was to listen, share, and be curious about others’ perspectives and experiences. This was accomplished by way of a facilitated dialogue with a set of structured questions to help foster listening and sharing of ideas.

In this dialogue, participants were invited to examine the current voting processes in the United States, what prevents citizens from participating in elections, and how we as participants in American democracy can strive to make things better for ourselves and others. Participants sat in small groups discussing voting, what it means to them as individuals, its barriers, and how it affects our lives.

“Dessert and Democracy” was designed in collaboration with the OCE’s Director of Dialogue Across Difference Programs, Lydia Reinig, and through the efforts of Canale Interns Annalise Eiffert and Jenna Miller.

About Sewanee Votes!

Founded in 2018 by the Office of Civic Engagement, Sewanee Votes! is a non-partisan democratic engagement program led by Coordinator for Student Programming, Morgan Jennings. Sewanee Votes! provides resources for students to register to vote, hosts voter education events, and promotes civic agency and political efficacy. The initiative was created to increase voter engagement and further institutionalize Sewanee’s commitment to civic learning, democratic engagement, and election participation. Sewanee Votes! focused on increasing the percentage of students registered to vote while concurrently working to increase the percentage of students voting (mostly through the submission of absentee ballots). For more information about Sewanee Votes! and voting and election info, please follow @sewaneevotes on Instagram and email sewaneevotes@sewanee.edu.