Bard Scholar Empowers Student Voters

Sierra Ford, a junior at Bard College, has transformed her civic attitude into action as a volunteer with Election@Bard. Through the campus-based civics organization, Sierra is working to expand youth representation in the American electorate.

Sierra’s path to youth-voter activism began her sophomore year when she was selected by the Center for Civic Engagement to lead Bard’s student-led voting initiative. Since then, Sierra has been passionate about targeting systemic voter suppression and demystifying the voting process.

“By eliminating the barriers that come between a young person and the ballot box, I not only make voting more accessible for my generation, but I also ensure more young people are represented and considered in legislation,” says Sierra.

For the 2024 election cycle, Election@Bard helped to register over 500 students at Bard—an institution with only 2,400 students—and achieved a 90% voter turnout rate. Of the voters that completed the organization’s exit poll survey, 74% noted that they used the resources provided by Election@Bard, which made their electoral participation significantly easier.

Sierra credits Posse with bolstering her commitment to civic engagement and giving her confidence to lead Election@Bard.

“The Posse Scholarship calls us as Scholars to be catalysts for sustainable community development. We can use voting as an apparatus to realize the development we want reflected in our communities,” says Sierra. “I encourage the Posse nation to continue finding avenues, like voting, to create the change you most want to see.”