¡Vamos a Votar! Celebrating Civic Engagement at the 2024 Party on the Patio

September 27, 2024 - Features

by Ana Sofia Lahovary | Student Advisory Board Coordinator

Community organizers Alejandro Rangel-Lopez and Erica Andrade share their insights on civic engagement and the 2024 election.

On Wednesday, August 28, the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board hosted its annual kick-off event, Party on the Patio. The event welcomes prospective and returning SAB members to enjoy dinner together, make new friends, learn about opportunities available at the Dole Institute, and hear from successful young professionals including community leaders, public servants, and journalists.

This year’s program, “¡Vamos a Votar! Community Organizing in a Critical Election Year,” kicked off the start of the school-year by highlighting the perspective of Latino-Americans in the political process and discovering how Kansas grass-root community organizations not only engage and make people feel like they belong in their communities but also provide invaluable resources both politically and socially.

Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, Erica Andrade, Sarah Stacy, Ana-Sofia Lahovary, and Libby Bernal at the Party on the Patio event at the Dole Institute of Politics on August 28, 2024.

This year’s guests were KU alumni and community leaders Alejandro Rangel-Lopez and Erica Andrade. Andrade is the president and CEO of El Centro, a Kansas-based, Latino-led, and serving non-profit providing the resources to build health, wealth, and power to the Latino community in Wyandotte and Johnson counties. The program also featured Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, who works as a Campaign Manager at New Frontiers, where they focus on equipping fellow Kansans with the tools needed to build political, economic, and social power through grassroots community building.

After dinner and reconnecting with familiar faces, SAB Coordinator Ana-Sofia Lahovary interviewed Andrade and Rangel-Lopez about the importance of civic engagement as well as the biggest challenges this years’ presidential candidates face regarding identifying and addressing issues that the Latino community faces. For example, the Latino community is not a monolithic voting block and that pattern remains true in the state of Kansas. Politicians must connect with Latinos on issues such as the economy and affordable housing just as other groups in the electorate and not uniquely immigration.

Members of the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board pose for a photo at the Dole Institute ahead of the program.

One notable moment was when Andrade and Rangel-Lopez shared the differences between community organizing in rural versus urban parts of Kansas and how their organizations meet their community’s needs.

“I loved seeing new and old SAB members and learning about civic engagement strategies in Kansas,” Abbie Clements, a Junior Political Science and Journalism major exclaimed.

“I really enjoyed learning about the Latino perspective in a critical election and our community, both here in on campus and in the greater Kansas community,” Braiden Bangalan, a Senior Political Science and Global and International Studies major, said.

Student workers at the Dole Institute pose for a photo with their Dole Whip dessert after the program.

Around 50 people were in attendance and were able to pose their own questions to the guests. After the program concluded, students and guests enjoyed Dole Whip for dessert and chatted about upcoming opportunities at the Dole Institute and the Student Advisory Board in the upcoming year.

Check out a recording of the 2024 Party on the Patio program below:

If you are interested in getting involved with the Student Advisory Board, visit the Dole Institute’s website or contact us at dolesab@ku.edu.

Ana Sofia Lahovary serves as the Student Advisory Board Coordinator—leading the official student group of the Dole Institute of Politics.

About the Dole Institute
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, a vibrant forum for civil discourse, civic engagement, and idea exchange across the political spectrum, features historical archives, exhibits, and public programs for all ages. Inspired by the public service of native Kansan, veteran, legislator, and statesman Senator Bob Dole and his wife Senator Elizabeth Dole, visitor galleries feature changing exhibits, the Kansas Veterans Virtual Memory Wall, architectural-scale stained glass American flag, and September 11 memorial.