Author: jhartsel

Mason Celebrates Freedom & Voting

On September 17th, George Mason students, faculty, and staff celebrated Constitution Day and National Voter Registration Day with multiple events on the Fairfax campus. Mason Votes, University Libraries, and the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning (CECIL) teamed up to host a National Voter Registration Day event on Wilkins Plaza, passing out t-shirts, buttons, and stickers to encourage students to get engaged in the 2024 election. The League of Women Voters was also on hand registering students to vote.

Learn More About National Voter Registration Day: nationalvoterregistrationday.org

Student Media hosted Mason’s Constitution Day celebration in The Hub Corner Pocket with a variety of activities including a prize wheel, trivia questions, free pocket Constitutions, a chance to sign a copy of the Constitution, and the Preamble Scramble where students race to assemble puzzle pieces with the text of the Constitution’s Preamble in the correct order.

Constitution Day Resource Page: studentmedia.gmu.edu/constitutionday

Constitution Day 2024:

National Voter Registration Day 2024:

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Credits:

Photos, Videos, and Interviews by: Mitchell Richtmyre

Voiceover: Ximena Espinoza

Video Editor: Patrice Pannell

Tim Walz vs. J.D. Vance

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) will debate Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R) for the first and only time tonight at the CBS Broadcast Center in Midtown Manhattan. This is widely believed to be the final debate of the 2024 campaign, so the stakes are high for both candidates to leave voters with a positive impression of their respective tickets.

CBS News recently released the official debate rules, noting that the candidates “will be introduced by the moderators beginning with the candidate of the incumbent party, meaning Walz will be introduced first.” There will be no opening statements or live audience.

According to the debate rules, “the candidate who was asked the question will have two minutes to answer, and the other candidate will be allowed two minutes to respond. Following that, each candidate will have one minute for additional rebuttals. And the moderators may at their discretion give candidates an additional minute each to continue a topic.”

Click here to learn more about each VP candidate’s position on the issues via guides.vote >

There is a Mason VP debate watch party happening on campus (scroll down for details), so consider joining your fellow Patriots to watch this historic political event in community with others!

VP Debate Details:

• Host: CBS News
• Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
• Time: 9:00pm EDT (the debate will run 90 minutes with two four-minute commercial breaks)
  
• Location: CBS Broadcast Center in New York, NY
• Moderators: Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan of CBS News
• Where to Watch: The debate will air live on CBS News. Find your local station here. Click here for more viewing options >

VP Presidential Debate Watch Party:

• Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
• Time: 8:45pm-11pm
• Location: Johnson Center Atrium (Fairfax Campus)
• Host: University Life/Mason Votes
• Free pizza!

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Photos credits:

Walz Official Portrait: https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-kit/

Vance Official Portrait: https://www.vance.senate.gov/about/

Both images are in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. These files have been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.

VIDEO: Watch a recap of the watch parties and hear student reactions

Students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered at multiple debate watch parties on Mason’s Fairfax campus to witness the first-ever meeting of 2024 presidential candidates Kamala Harris (D) and Donald Trump (R). With less than two months to go until Election Day, this much-anticipated debate was the first chance for voters to evaluate the candidates side-by-side on the same stage as they responded to questions on the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, health care, foreign policy, and more.

ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis moderated the debate live from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday, September 10th. Per the debate rules published by ABC News, the debate lasted 90 minutes (with two commercial breaks) and each candidate was granted “two-minute answers to questions, two-minute rebuttals, and one extra minute for follow-ups, clarifications, or responses.”

While Mason Votes’ debate watch party was happening in the Johnson Center, students from Divine Nine student organizations gathered in The Hub at an event hosted by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Student reporters attended both events on behalf of Mason Votes to document the events, capture reactions, and learn more about why students are planning to vote in 2024.

Video Link: youtube.com/watch?v=pNi6zefjWRs

Watch Party #1: Johnson Center Atrium (hosted by Mason Votes)

Watch Party #2: The Hub VIP Meeting Room 2 (hosted by Kappa Alpha Psi)

It remains to be seen if Harris and Trump will face off again before Election Day (so far Harris says yes and Trump says no), but vice presidential candidates Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (R) have both confirmed their participation in a single VP debate hosted by CBS News that is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1st.

Stay tuned for more 2024 election coverage by Mason Votes!

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Photos by: Mitchell Richtmyre

Video by: Mitchell Richtmyre & Mathilda Tataw

Interviews by: Mathilda Tataw

Voiceover: Ximena Espinoza

Video Editor: Patrice Pannell

Vote Early In-Person in VA Sept. 20-Nov. 2

Early voting in Virginia for the November 5th general election begins today, Friday, September 20th. The early voting period begins 45 days before Election Day and ends the Saturday before Election Day (November 2nd).

According to the Virginia Department of Elections website, “all general registrar’s offices offer early voting. For all early voting and ballot dropbox information, contact the general registrar’s office for the jurisdiction where you are registered… Some jurisdictions may offer early voting in other locations in addition to the registrar’s office.”

Click here to learn more about early in person and absentee voting in VA >

Click here to find early in person voting locations in your county >

Click here to check your registration status or request a mail-in ballot >

A few tips on early voting from the Virginia Department of Elections:

• You do not have to have a reason or fill out an application to vote early.
• At the registrar’s office or satellite voting location, you must provide your name and address and show an acceptable form of ID or sign an ID Confirmation Statement (your Mason ID will be accepted!) Click here to view a list of acceptable IDs >
• Accessible equipment and/or curbside voting is available upon request.

The deadline to register to vote in Virginia is Tuesday, October 15th, so make sure to register or verify your existing registration as soon as possible.

Note that the voter registration deadline is different in each state, so do your research early and confirm that you are eligible to vote on or before November 5th. If you need to register in another state, visit vote.gov and select your home state or territory to access local voter registration deadlines, forms, and information.

Click here for information about voting as a Mason student >

It’s never too early to register/verify and make a plan to VOTE!

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Disclaimer: This post is intended to provide important voting information for Mason students, but always refer to the official Virginia Department of Elections website for the most accurate and up-to-date voter information/guidelines: elections.virginia.gov

The Mason community reacts to the 2024 presidential debate

By: Brandyn Fragosa, Fourth Estate Senior News Reporter

This story was originally published on gmufourthestate.com. Fourth Estate is Mason’s official student-run newspaper.

Mason Votes hosted their 2024 Presidential Debate Watch Party for the Mason community at the entrance of the Johnson Center Atrium on Sept. 10. The watch party showcased the first debate between candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on topics concerning the American public.

The community event was facilitated by Mason Votes Advisor Alissa Karton who established the organization in 2007 alongside other Mason students, faculty and staff to “create a university-wide umbrella organization… promoting information around voting and elections.”

Since 2007, the tradition of hosting a presidential debate watch party has allowed members of the Mason community to get involved in the upcoming elections and learn more about the candidates and their stances.

With only 55 days left until Election Day, a large crowd gathered in the JC Atrium to watch candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J Trump debate each other for the first time.

The debate was filmed live and hosted by ABC at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate was moderated by David Muir, anchor and managing editor for ABC World News Tonight, and Linsey Davis, anchor for World News Tonight Sunday and ABC News Live Prime.

The moderators asked each candidate topics regarding the economy, abortion, immigration and border security, environment, foreign affairs, health care and climate change with each candidate having “two-minute answers to questions, two-minute rebuttals, and one extra minute for follow-ups, clarifications, or responses,” as stated in the debate rules.

During the 90-minute debate, community members cheered, laughed and groaned as the candidates answered questions and critiqued each other’s time in office.

Among the students watching the debate was Vice President of the College Republicans at GMU senior Jay Shuey, who shared his concern over the lack of questions regarding constitutional rights.

“The one thing that kind of made me a bit concerned was the lack of talk about constitutional rights,” Shuey said. “There was no talk about freedom of speech on college campuses, there was no talk about the Second Amendment… what are you going to do about the Fourth Amendment, are you going to do anything about government spying… these debates are never long enough… we could ask questions about every constitutional amendment and what their thoughts are on them because if they don’t have an answer to that, then it’s like ok, that may be an issue.”

“Let’s talk about Bruen [New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen], how that affects everybody because we just had a school shooting last week, why aren’t we talking about that,” Shuey added.

When it came to the candidate’s ability to answer questions, senior Emilee Brewer said, “Overall, I think sometimes there were moments when each candidate did not directly answer a question, but more in generalizations. The candidates spent more time on the blame game than proposing a plan to move forward.

Given this election is looking to pull in higher young voter numbers, I think it would have been beneficial for more in-depth conversations related to the future of this country and the current everyday struggles faced today,” Brewer said. “Where do the candidates stand on policy on gas and grocery prices, campus protesting, social security, tax on tips, etc.? A topic I would have liked covered was voter identification and where each of the candidates stand on that.”

Despite her concerns, Brewer still plans to vote in the upcoming 2024 election.

“It is so important to vote, especially young adults like myself,” Brewer said. “I want my voice heard this November, as should anyone else.”

As attendees left the JC atrium following the candidates’ closing statements, Karton said, “I hope that [the Mason community has] some clarity and motivation on getting engaged… I hope they get awareness and education and I hope they can have good conversations with their peers.”

To learn more about ways to get involved with the upcoming election, visit masonvotes.gmu.edu for voter guides and information on becoming a registered voter.

“I think if you are able to vote, personally, I think it’s important to exercise that right,” Karton said. “If people fought long and hard to give us that right to vote, I see it as a civic responsibility.”

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Slider photo by: Mitchell Richtmyre/Mason Votes

Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) will face off against former President Donald Trump (R) for the first (and possibly only) time tomorrow night in Philadelphia, PA. With less than two months until Election Day, this will be the first chance for voters to evaluate the candidates together on the same stage.

ABC News recently released the official debate rules, noting that Trump won the virtual coin toss and chose to offer his closing statement last.

There are at least two Mason debate watch parties happening on campus (scroll down for details), so consider joining your fellow Patriots to watch this historic political event in community with others!

Debate Details:

• Host: ABC News
• Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
• Time: 9:00pm EDT (the debate will be 90 minutes with two commercial breaks)
  
• Location: National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA
• Moderators: David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News
• Where to Watch: The debate will air live on ABC News and is available to stream via ABC.com, ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. SiriusXM users can listen to the debate on Channel 370. Several other networks will simulcast the debate live, so check your local listings.

Presidential Debate Watch Party #1:

• Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
• Time: 8:30pm-11pm
• Location: Johnson Center Atrium (Fairfax Campus)
• Host: University Life/Mason Votes
• Free pizza!

Presidential Debate Watch Party #2:

• Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
• Time: 7pm-11pm
• Location: The Hub VIP Meeting Room 2 (Fairfax Campus)
• Host: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
• Join members of the “Divine 9” to watch Trump vs. Harris!
  

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Slider photos credits:

Trump: Craighead, S., photographer. (2017) Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump. 2017, October 6. [Photograph] cropped. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017656484/

Harris: Jackson, Lawrence, photographer. (2021) Official portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris. 2021, March 5. [Photograph] cropped. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov, https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/vice-president-harris/. According to whitehouse.gov, “government-produced materials appearing on this site are not copyright protected” and this photograph is considered to be in the public domain.

ABC debate image used for promotional purposes to encourage viewers to watch via ABC News platforms.

Get Engaged! Mason Votes in 2024

Mason Votes partnered with GMU-TV to create the video below featuring Mason students sharing important voter information and why they plan to vote on (or before) Tuesday, November 5th.

Whatever the top issues are that inspire you to vote, it’s important to make your voice heard and participate in the 2024 election.

As the video says, “George Mason University students have always been at the forefront of driving change. We’re known for our dedication to building a better society. We do that by voting.”

Make sure you are registered and have a plan to vote so you can be part of the “longstanding Mason tradition of civic engagement and robust voter participation” this November!

vimeo.com/1001287497