Pace University’s Center for Community Action and Research has been trying to convey the importance of voting to students on the Pleasantville campus. CCAR offered free rides to the polls today for students who were registered to vote at their on-campus addresses.

In addition to the rides, CCAR has offered presidential debate watch parties, voter registration tabling, meet the candidate events, and Voting 101 workshops.

“It is important to vote because, even though this isn’t the presidential election, a lot can be changed on a local level,” said CCAR student employee Valerie Eristil. “We can affect how things work in our community.”

CCAR engages student employees in hopes they will convince their peers of the importance of voting.

“When I see first-year students that look like me, and maybe nobody in their school ever talked about politics… I think just hearing from someone who looks like them, there is importance and value in it,” Eristil said. “When you put emotions behind your words, it makes a difference.“

CCAR has also used social media to promote civic engagement by posting student testimonials about the importance of voting.

More information about CCAR’s #PACEVOTES programs is on its Instagram page, @ccarplv.