Bard Acting President Jonathan Becker Writes Guest Essay for New York Times Opinion

Jonathan Becker, acting president at Bard College, has published a New York Times Opinion guest essay about student voting rights. In the article, “What Does the Trump Administration Have Against the 26th Amendment?” Becker argues that institutions of higher learning have a duty to assist their students in navigating the registration and voting process, educating them not only about their democratic rights, but also actively helping them to realize those rights. He views this as especially crucial given new federal regulations set to take effect in October, in which the Office of Management and Budget has proposed to classify voter registration efforts by colleges and other nonprofit organizations as lobbying, which would curtail student democratic engagement. “American colleges and universities must not be neutral on the issues of democracy and civic participation,” Becker writes for the Times. “In the 2022 midterms, only 30.6% of college students voted: we should all view this as unacceptable. College leaders should articulate their opposition to the proposed rule changes and find resources to promote and defend the most foundational of democratic rights.” 

Post Date: 08-19-2026