Iowa’s secretary of State, Paul D. Pate, visits Graceland as GSG officers prepare for the upcoming midterm elections.
Iowa’s Secretary of State, Paul D. Pate, visited Graceland’s Lamoni campus on Monday, Sept. 14. Secretary Pate spent time visiting with President Joel Shrock, PhD about his newest initiative, Catt Collegiate Challenge – a statewide initiative that empowers postsecondary institutions to integrate civic learned and voter engagement into campus life.
During Secretary Pate’s visit, Interim Vice President of Student Life, Jared Doty, shared how the Graceland Student Government (GSG) were actively working to respond to civic responsibility.
Weeks prior, GSG President, Cadence Sires ’27, approached Speaker of the Senate, Veronica Baehr ’28, about hosting a ‘Register to Vote’ event for the upcoming midterm elections.
“I thought it was important to show students, freshmen in particular, how to get registered. I didn’t want people to feel they can’t vote because they don’t know how or lack the resources.” Sires explained.
With strong background support from Sires, Baehr began organizing. She enlisted the help of House Presidents and other Senate representatives to spread the word and encourage student participation. Baehr also posted signs outside of the mailroom and leveraged the use of GSG’s Instagram platform (@graceland_sgov).
On Sept. 24, sixty-two students filtered into the NSU and scanned the QR code – successfully registering themselves to vote! Faculty members and Sodexo staff also arrived to show support or register themselves.
In addition to registration instruction, Thursday’s event also covered important topics such as how to check registration status and navigating county absenteeism.
“I consider sixty-two a successful number since many of our students were already registered through their high schools.” Baehr stated, reflecting on the events turnout.
Baehr praised the various other GSG leaders and House Representatives for their hard work and dedication. She also noted plans for a similar event are already being drafted for the Presidential Election in November 2028.
“Overall, it went well! And I think this is something we could absolutely do again in 2 years.” Baehr concluded.
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