RICHMOND, Va. – With Election Day just two months away, the Colonial Athletic Association Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is working hard to make sure student-athletes around the conference get registered to vote.
A subcommittee made up of at least one representative from all 10 CAA member institutions has developed plans to conduct registration drives on each campus. For some student-athletes, this year's election provides the first opportunity for them to vote, so the group is helping to explain the process of how to vote by either absentee ballot or in-person. Voting rules can vary depending on the state in which they reside.
The CAA has built a special page on its website,
CAASports.com/CAAVotes, that includes a variety of helpful information. Links to registration deadlines, absentee ballot information, voting tips, voting resources and voting myths are featured. The conference also produced a public service announcement for its social media outlets that encourages people to register and vote.
As SAAC representatives coordinate with coaches and administrators on each campus to get their teams registered to vote, the conference will start a friendly competition among member institutions. Teams will be able to challenge their CAA rivals to make sure everyone is registered. They have also developed a special hashtag, #CAAVotes, for use on social media posts.
Members of the CAA SAAC Voter Registration Subcommittee who have been instrumental in this initiative are:
Naya Boualany (women's soccer) and Eileen Vedder (women's cross country/track & field) – Charleston
Chayanna Gallardo (softball) – Delaware
Natalie Cleri (women's rowing) – Drexel
Martin Adams (men's cross country) – Elon
Frankie O'Brien (field hockey) – Hofstra
Sinead Sargeant (women's cross country/track & field) – James Madison
Kyla Augustine (volleyball) – UNCW
Bailey Smith (women's swimming) – Northeastern
LaKaitlin Wright (women's basketball) – Towson
Ted Hefter (football) and
Mariana Hershner (women's soccer) – William & Mary
