State Rep. Tim Hicks and Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (third and fourth from left) present an award to ETSU students and faculty who worked to boost student voter registration in Fall 2022.
State Rep. Tim Hicks and Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (third and fourth from left) present an award to ETSU students and faculty who worked to boost student voter registration in Fall 2022.
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett visited East Tennessee State University on Wednesday to present the university with an award for the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement's work during National Voter’s Registration Month in September 2022.
“Congratulations to East Tennessee State University and all the students who worked diligently on social media and in-person to get their fellow students registered to vote,” said Hargett. “In Tennessee, your vote matters. I hope all the newly registered students become active participants in our elections and go vote.”
Hargett was joined by ETSU leadership and officials from around the region, including from the Washington County Election Commission Office. The award was presented to students and staff in the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement and ETSU Votes.
“What an honor it is to receive this award,” said Nathaniel Farnor, coordinator of Leadership and Civic Engagement. “At ETSU, we strive to promote lifelong civic engagement among our students, faculty, staff and community.”
Joy Fulkerson, ETSU’s Director of Leadership and Civic Engagement, said that the university works hard to meet students where they are and make registering to vote as easy and accessible as possible. Some of the things that the university has done to promote voter registration on campus include celebrating National Voter Registration Day on September 20, registering ETSU as an early voting site for the November elections and working with student political groups across campus to raise awareness of the importance of registering to vote.
“We’re just really grateful for the support across campus and our community, our relationship and partnership with the election commission and with all of our various student political groups on campus,” said Fulkerson. “We know the importance of students participating in the democratic process, and that starts with being a registered voter.”
She added that her office is excited about continuing to grow and finding new ways to reach faculty and staff and improve campus civic engagement.
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