BERKELEY – The civic-minded California lacrosse program is once again leading voter participation efforts across the athletic department and beyond with the "Go Bears Go Vote" campaign that began in 2018.

An initiative started by Cal lacrosse alumna Madison Roberts, Go Bears Go Vote aims to ensure every student-athlete at Cal is registered to vote and has a plan to execute that vote as well. The program, which is being spearheaded this year by lacrosse student-athlete Alyssa Studdert, is a non-partisan effort to encourage voter registration, education, and turnout among all eligible Cal student-athletes.

"For the majority of our student-athletes, this is the first real election that has captivated our attention that we can vote in – it's something that has permeated so much into our social media content, and news feeds that we are seeing every day," Studdert said. "We are constantly hearing about it. I feel like it's such an important thing that young people use their voice in general."

Since Roberts first originally took up the effort, the Go Bears Go Vote campaign has been passed on to more lacrosse student-athletes to come. The initiative made a significant impact for the 2020 presidential campaign when then-lacrosse student-athletes Kat Roxas, Nikki Zaccaro, LizaBanks Campagna, and Kamryn Lanier carried the torch passed on by Roberts.

Studdert, a political science major, has led the way during this election cycle with help from teammates and student-athletes from other Cal sports, such as Addie Johnson and Dylan Bissell from cross country/track & field, Courtney Boone of women's soccer and Sidney Curven of women's rowing.

"The original group was really intent on making sure all of their efforts weren't lost," said Jessie Stewart, the Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships for the Cameron Institute. "They wanted to pass the torch in a way that allowed the next generation to pick it up and run. They left a fantastic blueprint for Alyssa and the committee to draw from and put their stamp on it. It was a great, positive example of sustained leadership."

The Go Bears Go Vote committee, led by Studdert, puts on 15-minute presentations for Cal's teams that take student-athletes through the process of getting registered and the process of requesting absentee ballots for those who desire them. The presentations also work with student-athletes to make sure each one of them has a next step and a plan to vote on Election Day.

The committee has also partnered with other leadership groups, such as RISE to Vote, Cal's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and the ASUC Vote Coalition here on campus.

"One of the things we try to do with all of our student-athletes is to help them to recognize their own capacity for making a difference in their community – whether locally, regionally or bigger," Stewart said. "Voting is just one of those pathways to make a difference, but also one of the most critical."

While the committee's primary goal is to secure 100% voter registration among all eligible Cal student-athletes, Studdert recognizes their voices can have influence far beyond campus.

"We are all part of Cal Athletics, but we are all also able to do outreach that goes beyond that," she said. "We all come from diverse communities. It's important for us in our own everyday lives that we use our platform as student-athletes to touch different groups and make an impact."