On November 4, 2025, Virginians will head to the polls to elect their next Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and members of the House of Delegates. Democratic Nominee and former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is taking on Republican Nominee and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears in the race to become the first ever female Governor of Virginia. If Earle-Sears wins, she would become the first ever Black woman to become Governor of any state in the United States.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, 1,433,427 voters in Virginia have already cast their ballots, over 239,000 more than in 2021. So far, 2,672 people have already voted in Prince Edward County.
Historically, young people and college students vote in fewer numbers than the rest of the population. A study from Tufts University's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found that only 25% of people aged 18-29 voted in the 2021 gubernatorial election between Glenn Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe
However, at Longwood, one group is working to change that. Lancers Vote is ensuring Lancers have the tools and information Longwood students need to vote confidently. Lancers Vote is a nonpartisan student organization that focuses on civic engagement and voter education.
Their mission is simple: help students understand their ballot. The group has been setting up voter registration drives, tabling around campus, giving classroom presentations and spreading information about absentee ballots and early voting. The goal is education — as they believe knowing how to vote is just as important as knowing who you want to vote for.
“We’ve been doing presentations of information on how, when, and why you should vote. Of course, we’re not pressuring anyone to vote, but we’re open to having those conversations about why it is important as a college student to vote,” said Emily Wasserman, the vice president of Lancers Vote.
“Since this year is a state and local election, it doesn’t get as much publicity as the presidential election that we just had. However, I think this is a special case, though, since both candidates for governor are women. This is going to be the first time Virginia will have a female governor, no matter how you vote,” she added.
For many students, voting in college can be confusing. Some are unsure if they should register in their hometown or at their campus address, and others aren’t clear on how absentee or early voting works. Lancers Vote has been addressing those challenges by directing students to official, nonpartisan resources all found on their Canvas page, Lancers Vote: Voting 101.
“It has a bunch of information on absentee ballots and how to register to vote. There are links on how to find candidate information. We can’t push different candidates toward you, but we can give you the access and links for you to look it up yourselves,” said Keira Holloway, the president of Lancers Vote.
While education is important, they also believe in independent research and helping students learn media literacy. Especially with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), determining if a piece of information has been AI-generated or a video from a debate has been generated or altered has become more difficult. One of the many resources Lancers Vote recommends to students is Ballotpedia.org, a gateway to information about any candidate running.
Lancers Vote adviser and Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Initiatives Cheryl Steele said she believes voter participation is crucial. “If you spend a lot of time on social media, misinformation is high. It concerns me because where do we go to get accurate information? Voter engagement is low in every election. Maybe people think it doesn't matter as much, but I think it’s ironically very important,” she said.
“I understand why people are disillusioned right now, with questions like ‘Does my vote matter?’ However, I say yes, you should, particularly women and other disenfranchised groups who recently got the right to vote. It’s even more beholden to us to do right by the folks who made it possible for us to vote.”.
Polls are open on November 4, 2025 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can find more information about Lancers Vote at their Instagram, @lancers_vote.
