September 29, 2026

by Lauren Ferguson

Civic-minded Roadrunners celebrated National Voter Registration Day at Ramapo College of New Jersey by encouraging fellow students to pledge to or register to vote.

The voter registration drive, held in front of the historic Havemeyer Arch on Ramapo’s welcoming Mahwah, NJ campus, was an opportunity to raise awareness around the importance of voting, and encourage Roadrunners to exercise their right to vote.

Students tabling with the College’s Civic and Community Engagement Center offered others a QR code to scan to register to vote as well as paper registration forms, and pledges to sign to commit to voting. In all, 126 people either registered to or pledged to vote.

Roadrunners who took part in the drive were eager to share their thoughts on the importance of voting.

“I think being able to elect someone or vote for someone in office is so important, just because a lot of things are happening in this country. A lot of things are happening in the state. A lot of things are happening on the local level. So I think it’s just so, so important that you go out and vote and exercise that right,” said Ayden Reed ’29, from Kearny in Hudson County, NJ. The double major in political science and law and society with a public policy minor serves as vice president of Ramapo’s Student Government Association.

Sebastian Herrera ’29, a law and society major with a minor in public policy, said it is vital to educate the student body on the importance of voting. “At the end of the day, it’s the votes of the people who elect your representatives, and your representatives are the ones who will make the changes that you would want to see within your community, societies, and even at the educational level, like here at Ramapo College,” said Herrera, of New Milford in Bergen County, NJ.

Ramapo continues to earn accolades for student voter engagement. The College has earned the Voter Friendly Campus Designation and has been consistently recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for its excellence in student voter engagement. ALL IN recognizes colleges and universities for making intentional efforts to increase student voter participation.