By JW McNay/managing editor
Students who want to register to vote can do so on multiple campuses in upcoming voter registration drives Sept. 24-25.
One such drive will take place 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 25 between the library and NFAC on NE, said NE government and paralegal studies chair Joan Johnson, who is also the chairperson of TCC All In Challenge, which organizes voter registration efforts across all TCC campuses.
“We’re just really committed to just bringing about more civic engagement, social responsibility and getting people registered to vote,” she said. “That’s our whole focus.”
The All In Challenge also develops resources such as a website to further inform students about the voting process. For example, the number of candidates on the ballot can be “intimidating,” and voters may not be aware that they don’t have to fill out the entire ballot, Johnson said.
“If you’ve researched three positions, you can vote for those, and you can hit submit and walk away,” she said. “And they’ll still give you a sticker.”
The NE drive lines up with National Voter Registration Day, which is the fourth Tuesday of September each year. That’s Sept. 25 this year, she said.
The goal is to raise awareness of voter registration and reach people that may not register otherwise before the deadline.
People intending to vote in the Nov. 6 election must be registered to vote by Oct. 9 if they aren’t already registered.
Students may also not be aware of early voting opportunities on NE, which can make the voting process more “convenient,” Johnson said.
“In early voting, if you’re registered in Tarrant County, you can vote at any precinct in Tarrant County,” she said. “If you wait until election day, you have to go to your voting precinct.
A voter registration drive will also be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 24 and 25 in the commons on SE.
The contact for the SE event did not respond to multiple attempts seeking comment.
A drive will also take place on NW 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 24 and 25 in the WSTU main lobby.
Those who plan on registering do not need to bring anything special with them to register, said NW humanities special projects coordinator Lourdes Davenport.
The registration process may take as long as five minutes and involves filling out simple questions, she said.
“My hope is that people don’t get discouraged from voting because of the negative media about politics,” Davenport said. “Politics and government are two different things and we must remember that we, the people, are the government!”
NW student Keegan George has been a registered, active voter for ten years and said he thinks voters have gotten more involved since the time he started voting.
There is sometimes not as much coverage about local elections compared to bigger elections and voters can sometimes feel like “what’s the point,” but voting is still important at all levels, George said.
“I think more people should get out there and vote for what they believe in,” he said.
