Civic Engagement Activities

Are You Ready to Vote?

Election Day is rapidly approaching! Make sure you have a voting plan.

Do you know what’s on your ballot? Do you know where your polling place is located? Do you know how to register? Visit our virtual or in-person Voting Office Hours or use our quick references below.

Voting Office Hours

Have questions about voting? Drop in to any of these times and places, no appointment needed!

Monday, 10/20 from 11:00am-1:00pm by the Student Lounge, Randall Student Center

Tuesday, 10/21 from 8:00am-2:00pm on Zoom (click here to join!)

Wednesday, 10/22 from 2:00pm-3:00pm on Zoom (click here to join!)

Thursday, 10/23 from 9:00am-11:00am in 15B Katz Library or from 2:00pm-3:00pm on Zoom (click here to join!)

Friday, 10/24 from 9:00am-11:00am in Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall or from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Rockland Center

Monday, 10/27 from 11:00am-1:00pm by the Student Lounge, Randall Student Center

Tuesday, 10/28 from 9:00am-12:00pm in Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall

Wednesday, 10/29 from 2:00pm-3:00pm on Zoom (click here to join!)

Thursday, 10/30 from from 2:00pm-3:00pm on Zoom (click here to join!)

Friday, 10/31 from 9:00am-11:00am in Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall or from 9:00am-12:00pm at the Rockland Center

Monday, 11/3 from 9:00am-11:00am in Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall

Tuesday (Election Day!) 11/4 from 8:00am-2:00pm on Zoom (click here to join!)

Scare Up the Vote!

Spooked about voting? Come to our Scare Up the Vote Halloween lunch bash to get your questions answered! In addition, we’ll have trivia, a costume contest (with prizes!), and FREE PIZZA! Don’t be scared, join us in the Fireside Lounge (Randall Student Center, Augusta) or in Nottage Library (Bangor) from 11:30am-1:30pm on Friday, October 31st!

Quick Guide to Voting

What’s on My Ballot?

You can find a sample ballot on maine.gov’s “Upcoming Elections” site. This year, Maine has two initiatives on the ballot:

1. “Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?”
2. “Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others?”

Where Do I Vote?

Polls are open on Election Day (Nov 4th) from 6:00am-8:00pm. You can find your polling place at the information lookup service.

How Do I Register to Vote?

In-person: In Maine, you can register to vote on Election Day (Nov 4th) with acceptable Photo ID (e.g., driver’s license) and Proof of Residence (e.g., utility bill).

Online: In Maine, you can register to vote online this year until October 14th

How Do I Vote Early?

In-person: Visit your Town or City Clerk’s office.

Online: Request an absentee ballot online until October 30th. Then, return the ballot to your Town or City Clerk’s office by 8:00pm on Election Day (Nov. 4th) or by October 28th if returning by mail.

Recent Activities at UMA and Beyond

UMA Architecture Students Take On Envision Resilience Midcoast Maine Challenge

UMA’s fourth-year architecture class is working with Envision Resilience in Bath, ME this year on the 2025 Envision Resilience Midcoast Maine Challenge. They will be developing novel, research-based, community-minded designs. The goal is to tackle the obstacles that come with climate change and to develop community resilience while still celebrating the maritime identity of the community. You can read more about their efforts here.

Volunteers from UMA and the Greater Kennebec Area Helped CA$H Maine

CA$H Maine provides free tax preparation and money management resources with Mainers statewide. The local Central Maine CA$H sees over dozens of volunteers chip in each year to help prepare taxes and provide free financial education.

UMA Students from previous years found CA$H Maine through the Accounting Program and Professors Thomas Giordano and Gary Page. At the time, Jessica Parks and Leah Kovitch participated in the program Jessica reflected that her favorite part about volunteering was “getting to meet others who had worked in the accounting field and getting to ask them questions.” Through her volunteer work, Jessica was able to do an informational interview with a volunteer working in her field and practice her accounting skills.

Professor Giordano shared that for UMA Accounting students, “It has been a great opportunity for students to actually prepare tax returns while engaging with real tax data.” Giordano also says that “volunteering is an important aspect of being a responsible accounting professional.”

UMA Bangor & Augusta Community Gardens

The UMA Bangor and Augusta Campus Community Gardens grow hundreds of pounds of food annually that are donated to six local pantries and shelters, including the Food for Thought pantry on the Bangor Campus and the Augusta Food Bank.

The Bangor Garden Club hosts educational gardening events, such as workshops on starting seedlings and composting. The Augusta Student Garden Club is completed another successful season harvesting over 200 lbs. of food for the Augusta Food Bank The gardens provide and essential services to the community by growing food that is donated to food insecure Mainers.

What Do Students Have to Say?

Amanda Griffin: Making a Difference

Amanda Griffin studied Business Administration on UMA’s Augusta campus, but she was always sure to make time to help out with the campus’ food share program. Once a week, Amanda and other UMA Augusta students met to pick up food from the Augusta Food Bank. This food was then brought to the campus and shared between the on-campus food pantry in the Randall Student Center, the residential hall, and the athletics program! 

When asked, Amanda said civic engagement means “making a difference – whether small or big – in your community to help those around you,” and UMA’s food share program definitely makes a difference. Many college students face food insecurity, and this program helps students to have easy, free access to food so that they can focus on work and study.

---

Kayla Kalel: Addressing Injustice in the Community

Working towards community betterment has been extremely important to Kayla Kalel. “For as long as people in my community that I love and care deeply about continue to die preventable deaths from overdoses, and for as long as some of my friends, family members and folks that I have met in the community are incarcerated for non-violent crimes, leaving their children alone to fend for themselves,” she said, “I consider it my obligation to advocate to ensure our community creates the type of community connection and resources all of us need to be our best selves.”

On top of her work as a student, Kayla served on the board of directors for Food AND Medicine, the Maine Coalition for Sensible Drug Policy, and the Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition, and is co-founder of the Birth Justice Collective. While a student, Kayla also volunteered with the Bangor Area Recovery Network and helped to increase access to Narcan Kits. Additionally, she was the project co-coordinator for “Stories of Incarceration: The Penobscot County Jail Storytelling Project” and was featured on a podcast discussing how the carceral system impacts families and parenting.

To Kayla, “civic engagement is taking the opportunity to give back to the community. It’s seeing a need or an injustice, and then taking steps to make others aware of the injustice, and advocating in various ways to ensure it’s changed.” She adds that “civic engagement also means noticing voices in the community that are not being heard for various reasons, finding out why they are not being heard, and then creating equity and creating space to ensure these folks are part of the conversation and are part of decision making within their community.”

---

Alicia Bell: Sharing Skills and Giving Back

Alicia Bell pursued a BA in Art at UMA and spent her time between both the Augusta and Bangor campuses. She also used her creative and artistic skills to help her community as the secretary of the Bedtime Quilters in Bucksport and a member of the Pine Tree Quilting Guild. Alicia said that, when creating a quilt, “every member in the group makes a block, and it is put together with hard work, dedication, and lots of bright colors for love” before the quilt is donated to a local community shelter. By sharing her skills, Alicia was able to give back and help people in need. “Giving back to the community is essential to me,” she says, “because the community helps me live a safe life.”