The “Voice Your Vote Challenge” succeeded in registering more than 16,000 SUNY students to vote in last month’s election. That figure eclipses the more than 11,000 students who registered in the last challenge in 2006.

“In an election with so much emphasis on the youth vote, this voter registration drive took on even greater importance,” said UUP President Phillip Smith. “Thousands of students learned a real-life lesson on democracy in helping to determine who our elected leaders will be, especially our next president.”

UUP teamed up with the New York Public Interest Research Group, the SUNY Student Assembly, NYSUT and Rock the Vote in the challenge—a six-week, nonpartisan voter-registration drive on SUNY campuses. UUP chapter presidents, Outreach Committee members and other volunteers served as the union’s SUNY Rock the Vote coordinators.

Campuses competed to register the greatest percentage of their student body to vote. Upstate Medical University in Syracuse garnered top honors, registering 31 percent, or 396 of their 1,273 students. UAlbany registered the most students, signing up 2,402, or nearly 14 percent of its students.

Several other SUNY campuses performed well in registering new voters, including Stony Brook with 1,973 students, or 8 percent; Buffalo State with 1,946, or nearly 18 percent; Binghamton with 1,747, or 12 percent; Cortland with 1,360, or 19 percent; and New Paltz with 1,236, or 16 percent. Complete results can be found at www.sunyvotes.org.

Upstate earned an award for its achievement. The prize had not been determined as The Voice went to press.

The registration drive included a variety of events, including candidate forums and visits by volunteers to classes and residence halls.

— Donald Feldstein