Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose recently spoke with more than 200 student-athletes at Cleveland State University (CSU) about civic engagement, along with the importance of voter rights as the general election inches closer, in an event put together by CSU’s Office of Civic Engagement (OCE).

Secretary LaRose also stressed the significance of having students’ voices heard and explained the many ways they could vote (by mail, early in-person or on Election Day) on Tuesday, Nov. 5.  

“This is so much more than just checking a box,” he said. “Some of you will go on to maybe play post-collegiate sports, many of you will go on to careers in different facets of life, but you will all have opportunities to be leaders and that positive role model of being civically engaged.”  

Secretary LaRose is Ohio’s 51st secretary of state and oversees a statewide constitutional office responsible for administering elections, working with 88 county boards of elections to ensure the security, accuracy and accessibility of Ohio’s voting process. In 2020, he helped guide the state through the unprecedented challenges of a presidential election conducted at the height of a global pandemic, successfully managing the highest voter turnout election in state history. 

Anita Ruf-Young, director of CSU’s OCE, agreed with Secretary LaRose that it’s important for all students to know why public service and leadership are so critical. 

“My hope is that this event inspired our student-athletes to think about how they can become active citizens beyond just getting registered to vote and voting in elections,” she said. 

Junior Health Sciences major and softball player Grace Narkum talked about how valuable the discussion was for her.

“I gained unbiased knowledge about voting while also having a space that I could feel comfortable asking questions,” she said. “It’s so important because your thoughts, voice and beliefs deserve to be heard. There is no better feeling than being educated on an important topic.”

Vice President of the African Student Association Aderinola Adejeji, a student navigator for the Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement and treasurer of the Student Government Association, agreed the event was a powerful reminder of the importance of voting. 

“What stood out to me the most was the message that, even at a young age, we can make a significant impact on the outcomes we wish to see by actively participating in the process,” she said. “Hearing about Secretary LaRose becoming an Ohio senator at just 32 was truly inspiring and encouraging, [reminding us] that we can make a great impact at a young age.”

“When you enjoy the benefits of a democracy, which we all do, you have some rights and you have some obligations – and one is to make your voice heard,” added CSU President Laura Bloomberg. “Let’s continue the tradition that we have on this campus with having a very, very high voter registration rate and a very, very high turnout rate.”

CSU was once again recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) for its 2024 Highly Established Campus Action Plan. The University is one of 93 institutions that has been commended for fostering nonpartisan voter and civic engagement. CSU has also earned the ALL IN Democracy Challenge Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting 2022. The 2024 Most Engaged Campuses will be announced in November.