EDISON, NJ (Oct. 4, 2021) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is continuing their Voter Registration Initiative with their goal of helping all student-athletes to have the abilities, means, and information to vote on this coming Election Day. The MAAC SAAC also wants to demonstrate the importance of voting and how each individual’s vote plays a role in generating positive change and social justice in our country.
The two main focuses of this year’s campaign are:
- Registering and providing access to all student-athletes to vote in the election
- Helping voters educate themselves on candidates in their district.
MAAC SAAC will again work with individual SAACs at each member institution in order to execute all phases of the campaign. SAAC representatives will use
MAACSports.com/Vote as a channel to give student-athletes all necessary information and useful tools for the upcoming election. In addition, SAAC members will use #MAACVotes as a means to spread their message on social media. The 2021 United States Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Last year the MAAC SAAC launched their first-ever Voter Registration Initiative and it was a rousing success as over 150 teams became fully registered to vote in the 2020 election. Multiple institutions also had 100% of their eligible student-athletes registered. SAAC representatives will continue to build off of this success by focusing on registering freshmen and transfers new to their teams in addition to anyone not registered in 2020.
The second phase of the voting initiative will focus on educating student-athletes and their campus communities on the candidates up for election in their district. MAAC SAAC representatives will share useful resources with their peers in order to bring awareness to what they are voting on and the opportunity they have to create change as voters.
Student-athletes have a voice in the NCAA through advisory committees at the campus, conference, and national level. Each SAAC is made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience and offer input on the rules, regulations, and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on campus. For the 2021-22-year, Turner Dirrigl of Canisius College (Cross Country) will serve as SAAC Chair and Hunter Embury of Marist College (Men’s Lacrosse) will serve as Vice Chair.
"Voting is one of the most important ways to make your voice heard. Generations of oppressed groups have fought for this right and its ability to help positively impact our communities,” said Dirrigl. “I’m looking forward to each SAAC group encouraging further involvement in civic engagement at their institution through the MAAC SAAC Voter Registration Initiative.”
Voter registration deadlines in states with MAAC schools are quickly approaching. Below is a link for registration by each state.
All information on the MAAC SAAC Voter Registration Initiative can be found at
MAACSports.com/Vote. Information on the status of the campaign will be added as election day approaches. Stay up to date will all MAAC SAAC updates by following
@MAAC_SAAC on Twitter or by searching
#MAACVotes. Stay up to date with all MAAC Sports updates by following @MAACSports on
Twitter,
Facebook, and
Instagram or by searching #MAACSports.
About the MAAC SAAC Voter Registration Initiative:
The MAAC SAAC Voter Registration Initiative is a yearly initiative which promotes civic engagement for all student-athletes. We will do this by providing easy access to voter registration information and energizing our community.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.