By Zachey Kliger

Andres Chong-Qui Torres (MPA ’19) arrived at SIPA in fall of 2017 eager to make a difference. Prior to attending Graduate school, Torres worked as an organizer for Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, and served for three years as an Obama White House Appointee at the U.S. Treasury Department. He wanted to continue his public service work at SIPA. The only question was how. 

“I assessed what SIPA didn’t have,” Torres said. “I remember thinking, we are a top three public policy school and we don’t have organizing. We don’t have civic engagement. We don’t have a group that’s addressing important issues, from why we vote on Tuesday to voter disenfranchisement and gerrymandering. We learn a lot in the classroom, but we’re not doing enough to turn this into action on the ground.”

Torres co-founded SIPA’s Civic and Voter Engagement Coalition (CIVEC) to fill that void. He partnered with Professor Michael Nutter, Professor Esther Fuchs, and others in the USP department to develop the group’s mission: “To empower an international student body with tools of democracy, an understanding of participatory government, and a pathway to political engagement.”

In its first year, CIVEC reached over 100 members. Michelle Meza (MPA ’20) joined after meeting Torres in their US-Latin American Relations Course.

“My experience working for the Peruvian government made me realize the power of politics and activism to produce transformative change,” Meza said. “I wanted to understand how the policies work here, what is broken, and how I can contribute to make society work better for everyone. CIVEC was a great starting point to engage with local issues in the city, and to connect with students who shared my passion for civic engagement.”

In 2018, with help from Professor Fuchs and a personal donation from Nutter, Torres secured a mini-grant from former Attorney General Eric Holder that allowed CIVEC to deploy volunteers to work as organizers in a number of key midterm races, including Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial race in Georgia, and Beto O’Rourke’s Senatorial bid in Texas.

Torres is proud of the impact CIVEC had in the midterm elections. But he also believes it was the start of something bigger.

“Everything we did then was to build for this moment,” Torres said, referring to the 2020 Presidential race. “2018 was about laying the structure with CIVEC. We sent volunteers to Florida, Texas and Georgia. We built a following. Now, former CIVEC members are leading phone banks and helping new students get involved. We are ready to make waves in this election.”

While the COVID-19 crisis has hindered direct voter contact in this election cycle, CIVEC has  hosted phone banks to help register voters and mobilize turnout in New York and across battleground states. On October 9, CIVEC and Columbia Law School Democrats organized a joint voter registration canvass in front of the Law School.

According to CIVEC President, Jorge Jimenez (MPA ’21), CIVEC’s focus for the rest of the academic year will depend on how the election unfolds.

“We may shift our attention to the NYC mayoral race in 2021, or focus on issue-based mobilization,” Jimenez said. “But it all depends on what happens in November. We’re staring down the possibility of the end of democracy. It sounds crazy, but the signs are there. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Regardless of the outcome in November, CIVEC’s work won’t stop. Today, CIVEC has close to 200 members, and many alumni continue to work in grassroots organizing. Meza is a Field Organizer with the Wisconsin Democratic Party. She recently spoke at the 2020 Concordia Annual Summit, where she participated in a panel on U.S. Elections and Civic Engagement. Torres, who consults for the State Department in his day job, is leading weekly phone banks to Hispanic voters in Florida. He moderated a town hall with Dr. Jill Biden and DNC Chair Tom Perez on October 8.

CIVEC, according to Torres, has never been about a single election. Rather, the organization promotes engaging with communities and inspiring students to recognize the power of their voice.

“My message to SIPA students is find your place to make a difference,” Torres said. “We’re living in special times. We have to fight for our democracy. The only way to do that is by taking action. Don’t underestimate the power of a meaningful conversation with your family, a neighbor, a friend. It may seem like your grain of sand doesn’t move the needle. But it does make a difference in the big picture.”

Editor’s note: This article has been edited to include additional reporting to clarify facts concerning the founding of CIVEC.

Zachey Kliger (MPA ‘22) is a first-year student studying Urban and Social Policy and Technology, Media and Communications.