A Fervor for Election Protection
“As a lawyer, I can help advocate and fight for a more representative democracy — where everyone’s voice can be heard at the ballot box,” Wayment says.
A Fervor for Election Protection
“As a lawyer, I can help advocate and fight for a more representative democracy — where everyone’s voice can be heard at the ballot box,” Wayment says.
At Berkeley Law, she hit the ground sprinting and now co-leads two student-led initiatives. The Political and Election Empowerment Project researches campaign finance, ballot access, and other key democracy issues, and Election Law @ Berkeley Law builds community among students interested in democracy, equality, citizenship, voting rights, and representation.
“Elections affect voters of all political parties,” she says. “I think that the polarization and partisan debates around elections and voting has, at least in part, contributed to the vast amount of misinformation and distrust in our electoral system.”
To help combat that, Wayment brainstormed with fellow Election Law @ Berkeley Law co-leader Sara Clark ’23 and their counterparts from the Goldman School of Public Policy’s Democracy Project. The group coordinated a compelling three-part Democracy Summit last spring — each event available in person and on Zoom — to educate students about threats and concerns in our democracy.
“We wanted to give students a valuable chance to engage with these issues,” Wayment says. “Every speaker we invited highlighted the different paths young activists can take.”
The Summit featured a keynote by actress and Screen Actors Guild Los Angeles Chapter First Vice President Sheryl Lee Ralph, a panel with alumni who have run for public office or are now serving, and veterans of the civil rights movement. It assessed the state of American democracy, highlighted work needed to make change, urged students to become advocates, and promoted campus partnerships to serve democracy protection.
A former Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, Wayment also tutors students in Berkeley Law’s first-year Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing Program and is the programs director of the school’s Ecology Law Quarterly.
“I’m struck by the genuine kindness I’ve experienced at Berkeley Law,” she says. “Even with the pandemic, the students managed to create a strong sense of community and the professors and administration have all been exceptionally understanding — particularly given the challenges of these past few years.” — Andrew Cohen