Jonathan Becker, vice president for academic affairs and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College, together with constitutional rights litigator Yael Bromberg, published an article in
Forbes. In the
Forbes article, Becker and Bromberg, who are co-editors of the book
Youth Voting Rights: Civil Rights, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, and the Fight for American Democracy on College Campuses, discuss the importance of youth political participation, and explore case studies of college communities which helped establish legal voting rights precedent. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the birth of the nation, every day proves that we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis to define the nation’s identity,” write Becker and Bromberg. “With a new shadow of entrenchment enveloping the nation, it serves to recall the civic ethos and action which overcame prior anti-democratic impulses.”
Additionally, Becker was interviewed by Susan D’Agostino ’91, Bard alumna and former Language and Thinking faculty member, in her monthly column The Public Scholar for
Inside Higher Ed. “Voting is the most foundational democratic right and an essential part of our educational mission,” said Becker. “If we avert our eyes from violations, then we are hypocrites. When we act with students, we model behavior we want them to carry when they go out into the world. Also, people who vote young tend to vote for life. So we’re modeling future behaviors. Through our actions, we reaffirm that our institutions’ deeds are consistent with our words.”
Read the article in Forbes Read the interview for Inside Higher Ed
Post Date: 02-25-2026