COLLEGE PARK, Md. (July 23, 2020) -- In alignment with the Big Ten Conference, University of Maryland Athletics has announced the launch of its "VoTERP" initiative, a student-athlete and staff-led campaign developed to provide Maryland student-athletes and staff with non-partisan resources to educate, activate and vote.
  
In addition to support from more than 20 athletics full-time staff members, the initiative is led by Maryland student-athletes Hope Lewandoski (women's soccer), Julia Reicin (cross country/track & field) and Taylor Wilson (softball).
 
"I am proud of the commitment and hard work that Maryland Athletics has put into developing the VoTERP initiative and I hope that our efforts will inspire other athletic departments around the country to do the same," said Hope Lewandoski of the women's soccer team. "This initiative is so important because it will encourage student-athletes, staff and surrounding community members to become civically engaged while also giving them the right tools to properly educate themselves. Our goal is that through this initiative, student-athletes will be equipped to grow their voices outside of their identities of being athletes and will realize the importance of their vote."
 
"I am incredibly proud of the student-athletes and staff members who have volunteered this summer to develop the VoTERP initiative," said Director of Athletics Damon Evans. "Under the direction of our VoTERP committee, our athletics department is committed to working alongside the Big Ten and our campus partners to provide educational resources to our student-athletes and staff throughout the electoral process."
 
The "VoTERP" committee preliminarily surveyed the Maryland student-athlete body in early July, and identified two areas of primary focus: the voter registration process and the education of issues and platforms.
 
As a result, the campaign will focus on providing tools for both voter activation and voter education to both student-athletes and staff through non-partisan resources and guides.