Hofstra teams lead CAA in voter registration
By Kristan Bravo
The Colonial Athletic Conference continues to make strides in its voter registration push, with Hofstra University third in the number of athletic programs fully registered to vote. Ten of Hofstra’s 16 CAA teams are 100 percent registered, thanks to leadership from athletic administration, coaches, and student-athletes.
Frankie O’Brien, a Hofstra field hockey defender from Plymouth Meeting, Pa., said she got involved in the CAA’s voter registration efforts to make her peers aware of their voting options.
“Voting is the best way to exercise your right to choose and your freedom,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien is Hofstra’s representative for the CAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This group formed a subcommittee to encourage student-athletes around the conference to be prepared to vote this November.
CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said the subcommittee worked with the conference to build a website with information students need to register. Once teams are fully registered to vote, they notify the conference and have their team recorded in the total.
“The men and women on the subcommittee are catalysts on their campuses for helping to create this drive,” D’Antonio said.
Courtney Veinotte, head coach of Hofstra field hockey, said O’Brien has natural leadership capabilities, both on and off the field.
“This is my 10th year coaching,” Veinotte said. “She’s probably one of the top leaders I’ve ever coached.”
Veinotte and O’Brien have been together at Hofstra for four years, as Veinotte was named associate head coach in 2017 when O’Brien was entering her freshman season. Veinotte said her now senior player has a unique ability to connect with people, allowing her to excel in this position with SAAC.
“She’s a consistent voice and a confident voice that our team relies on,” Veinotte said.
O’Brien said social media has played a large role in voter registration efforts throughout the conference this semester, especially with this year’s limitations on in-person meetings.
The hashtag #CAAVotes has been used to encourage the conference’s member schools to get their student-athletes registered. O’Brien worked with two of her freshmen teammates as they requested absentee ballots from their home states. Veinotte said she’s proud of the work her team is putting in.
“These young voices, they’re really finding a path where they can make an impact,” Veinotte said. “Especially as women, we need to use our voices more, so I’m extremely proud of our team and the initiative they’ve taken.”
Hofstra was one of the first Division I schools in the country to grant student-athletes a day off from team activities on Election Day. In June, Hofstra announced that all athletic teams would have off from practice on Nov. 3, giving them the opportunity to vote at any point during the day.
“We think it is incredibly important for our student-athletes to have their voices heard and their votes counted,” Rick Cole, director of Hofstra Athletics, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to come together as a group to assist our student-athletes in the process via voter registration and then provide them an outlet on Election Day to perform their civic duty.”
Following this lead, the NCAA decided on Sept. 16 to grant this off-day to all of its Division I athletic programs.
“Hofstra is doing a lot of great things and this is just one,” Veinotte said. “They’re ahead of the game and making great decisions.”
Veinotte said this off-day reiterates to the student-athletes that voting should have their utmost attention.
“We all have hectic lives, but we want to make it a priority for our athletes, coaches, and administration to get it done,” Veinotte said.
With under three weeks until Election Day, the CAA has about 100 teams 100 percent registered to vote. Hofstra wrestling completed this initiative, but is not part of the CAA.
