by Cassidy Haines, Magazine Editor
On the first Tuesday in November, voters across the country filled their ballots for midterm and local elections. As in past years, the College Union Building served as a polling place for Adams County, and students across the political spectrum welcomed townspeople and encouraged them to make their voices heard. One of the organizations involved this year was Vote for Equality (V4E), which officially launched on our campus at the start of the fall semester.
Scenes from V4E’s events and campaigns throughout the fall 2025 semester. (Photos Courtesy of Vote for Equality Gettysburg)
Marisa Conners ’26, campus organizer team lead, club president and founder of the Gettysburg chapter of V4E, shared that “V4E is the political arm of the Feminist Majority, which is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, so it can engage in political activity by advocating for causes and endorsing candidates. At Gettysburg and dozens of campuses across the nation, Vote 4 Equality groups are working to advance gender equity and related issues through elections. We have lots of volunteer opportunities and awesome pink merch! In fall 2025, V4E Gettysburg is working on voter education and mobilization.”
As of November, the organization now has over 40 volunteers throughout the Gettysburg community. While this is the first term that V4E has been a part of the college community, they have hosted plenty of events around campus to get their name out there, including “DONUT Forget to Vote,” “HOWL-o-ween” and their First-Year Festival. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, V4E organizers and volunteers tabled around the College Union Building to spread the word about their candidates and ideologies in preparation for the group’s major focus: the November 4 election.
Conners discussed the club’s goals heading into this year’s elections: “People aged 18-29, including college students, still have the lowest turnout in the nation. In 2024, Vote for Equality student organizers helped elect Governor Josh Stein in NC, Rep. Josh Riley in NY (flipping the seat), Sen. Ruben Gallego in AZ and more. V4E Gettysburg has spread awareness about this year’s upcoming election, registered at least 30 people to vote and provided valuable resources to make sure students are ready for Election Day.”
With these objectives in mind, the V4E volunteers campaigned up to the minute on Election Day. This year, roughly 30,000 people voted in Adams County, and after all was said and done, Vote for Equality at Gettysburg was able to register dozens of these people to vote.
Fellow campus organizer Chloe Hanousek ’27 explained the election results and V4E’s efforts this election cycle: “The people are the power — it’s our job to remind them of that. In Gettysburg, voter participation among students and community members exceeded expectations this election cycle. Across Pennsylvania, V4E groups on college campuses worked to mobilize student voters, contributing to a near record-breaking statewide turnout. As a result, all three Pennsylvania Supreme Court judges were retained, ensuring continued protection for the state Equal Rights Amendment, abortion rights and fair redistricting. This outcome represents a major victory for equality, civic engagement, and the collective power of informed voters.”
Conners, Hanousek and the other establishing members were approached by the Feminist Majority to become campus organizers over the summer, and then this team became the club’s executive board. Conners was also a campus organizer during the fall 2024 election cycle and had the opportunity to intern for the Feminist Majority while she spent her spring 2025 semester in Washington, D.C. “It’s been an honor to be a part of this campaign,” expressed Hanousek.
Scenes from V4E’s events and campaigns throughout the fall 2025 semester. (Photos Courtesy of Vote for Equality Gettysburg)
About her experience with the club, Hanousek stated, “When I was feeling powerless in the face of American politics this summer, I got an email saying that I’d been recommended for the position. I knew I had to apply. This organization has given me a voice and reminded me of my power as an organizer, American citizen and student activist.”
Following a busy election cycle, V4E will slow down for the fall semester, with Conners anticipating smaller volunteer efforts throughout the spring.
To learn more about Vote for Equality or to join the Gettysburg chapter, Conners invites students to contact her at connma04@gettysburg.edu, and Hanousek suggests requesting to join on EngageGettysburg. You can also follow them on Instagram @gburg_v4e to keep up with their upcoming campaigns and events.
This article originally appeared on pages 10 and 11 of the November 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
