TOMBALL (Sept. 3, 2024)– According to research cited by Houston Endowment (HE), only half of the eligible voters in the Greater Houston area participated in the 2020 election, 17 percent less than the national average. Lone Star College was awarded a $1.5 million Houston Endowment Engage Electorate Grant to boost civic engagement in the region. These initiatives include an LSC-Tomball Constitution Day program featuring Chris Hollins, the Houston City Controller.
“HE reached out to LSC with the goal of educating voters,” said Clark Friesen, LSC-Tomball Center for Civic Engagement Director and Speech Professor. “As this is an election year, we felt the additional funding would help us enhance our existing efforts. We are grateful to HE for recognizing the quality of the LSC Civic Engagement Centers and for supporting our educational mission.”
The grant funds will be distributed across the LSC system over three years. The funds will help facilitate programming for LSC campuses and surrounding communities. HE is a private foundation established in 1937 by Jesse H. Jones and his wife, Mary Gibbs Jones, to improve the quality of life for everyone in Greater Houston. Today, it has more than $2 billion in assets and invests in three priorities: strengthening public education, increasing civic engagement, and enhancing area arts and parks.
The LSC-Tomball Constitution Day program will feature the City of Houston Controller Hollins, who has served in this position since January 2024. As Chief Financial Officer, Controller Hollins oversees a budget exceeding $6 billion and manages the City’s $6 billion investment and $14 billion debt portfolios. Before he served as City Controller, Hollins led the 2020 elections effort in Harris County as County Clerk, protecting and expanding voting rights for 2.5 million Houston-area voters.
“Students can benefit from hearing from people who are, as Theodore Roosevelt said, “in the arena,’ said Friesen. “Hopefully, students will gain further insight into Texas politics and those insights might help them understand their course content better.”
The LSC-Tomball Constitution Day program will be held on National Voter Registration Day, Tuesday, September 17 at 11 a.m. at LSC-Tomball, in room E 100.
“It’s important that we continue to help students understand election issues,” said Friesen. “Our purpose is to help students grasp the political process and see how they can participate in it.”
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