Op-ed: Outcome of 2025 gubernatorial election will impact UMW students

by MATTHEW NELSON

Contributing Writer

Next week, registered voters in the state of Virginia will have the opportunity to vote in the Virginia gubernatorial election between Abigail Spanberger (D) and Winsome Earle-Sears (R). A state-wide election like the race for Governor may feel like it can only have abstract and state-level consequences, but the results will impact every UMW student on a day-to-day basis. UMW students should be aware of how the upcoming election will impact their education when deciding whether or not to vote.  

During the last governor’s election – my senior year at UMW – Glenn Youngkin pulled off an upset victory over former governor Terry McAuliffe. Very few of my peers expected McAuliffe to lose, but hindsight shows a lower level of engagement in the gubernatorial election than in past elections. In exit polls from the 2020 Presidential election, Virginians aged 18-29 made up 20% of voters. This percentage dropped to 10% for the 2021 governor’s race between Youngkin and McAuliffe. That steep drop in college-aged engagement led the demographic to swing towards Youngkin and allow Youngkin to win the election.

Involvement in gubernatorial elections is crucial because the governor makes appointments to UMW’s board of visitors. While the governor may operate from Richmond, their political appointees are interwoven with UMW’s decision-making policy. One of the governor’s responsibilities is to appoint members to the Board of Visitors of public universities in Virginia such as UMW.

Looking at the current members of the Board of Visitors, 11 were appointed by Youngkin and one was re-appointed by Youngkin after an initial appointment by McAuliffe. President Paino reports to these twelve appointees, so the ability for a governor to control the Board of Visitors gives them an immense political foothold on UMW’s campus. 

The biographies of individual members of the Board of Visitors show a connection between the current board and far-right political movements. For example, Youngkin appointed UMW alumna Rachel Greszler to the board of visitors in 2024 and re-appointed her to a full four-year term in 2025 that will end in 2029. Greszler’s biography lists her as a consultant for the Heritage Foundation, the same organization that released the far-right Project 2025 that guides much policy during Trump’s second term. Greszler’s publications released during the Biden presidency show negative opinions on topics such as unions and raising minimum wage. 

Earle-Sears hasn’t addressed political topics in education to the same extent as Youngkin’s 2021 campaign, but she has endorsed his agenda while serving as lieutenant governor of the Virginia over the past four years. At best, Earle-Sears would likely retain Youngkin’s appointees to the board of visitors, At worst, an Earle-Sears governorship would see more appointees with connections to far-right movements like the Heritage Foundation. 

Americans widely oppose Project 2025 and, based on my personal observations, UMW students and alumni hold the same political oppositions. My belief is that if UMW students were aware of the connection between the gubernatorial election, they would be more engaged in the 2025 gubernatorial election than my graduating class was in the 2021 gubernatorial election. When deciding whether or not to invest the time into voting, students should keep in mind that inactivity in the ballot box will likely lead to the Heritage Foundation exerting more control over campus life and President Paino’s decision-making. 
The political agendas of individuals on the Board of Visitors should be a compelling reason for UMW students to vote, even if they are disinterested in other aspects of the candidates’ platforms. It is possible to register on election day to cast a provisional ballot and UMW provides extensive support for students who wish to vote, including no classes on election day and trolleys to polling places for students registered to vote in Fredericksburg.