Students register to vote on campus
The message that “Road to Registration,” a movement backed by the Lieutenant Governor’s office, displayed was for citizens in a republic voting is the most effective way to be involved and let their voices be heard. The booth was on the Taggart Student Center patio on Wednesday.
“Voting is the only voice we have, the only way we can complain, the only way we can try to change things,” said Katie Selby, an employee of the movement. “In state elections your vote goes directly to whoever you vote for, there is no electoral process. Those representatives that you vote for are going to directly affect you more so than those in the federal elections.”
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. any student who desired assistance was helped to register electronically and in under five minutes. Students such as Kaitlin Archibald, a sophomore communication studies major, expressed their satisfaction that Road to Registration had facilitated them by coming to campus.
“I probably wouldn’t have registered if they hadn’t come,” Archibald said, who now has plans to vote.
Utah State is the fifth stop of more than 15 this september for Road to Registration, many of them being colleges and universities.
“Many students aren’t sure: ‘like am I allowed to vote here or can I vote back where I’m from? Or how does it work?’ A lot of students don’t feel they have the time,” Selby said.
Youth aged 18-29, along with latinos, are the 2 target demographic groups for the movement, due to beliefs such as these and the resultant underrepresentation they experience. Workers hope that their efforts will help to remedy these problems.
“[Road to Registration] helps people say ‘Oh I don’t have to worry about it now, they’re taking care of it,’” Selby said.
The movement joined forces with student groups such as USU College Democrats, USU College Republicans and the USU Government Relations Council to galvanize student excitement.
“Just vote, it’s that simple,” said Aaron Oborn, a junior law and constitutional studies major and co-president of USU College Democrats. “Even though I’m here right now with College Dems, we and the College Republicans are working hand in hand to get people out there and registered to vote, that’s the most important part of democracy is that the people decide.”
The President of USU College Republicans Dan Pierucci, a senior political science major, echoed Oborns sentiment.
“Register to vote and then use your voice to vote and to get involved,” he said. “If we don’t get involved now we won’t be able to determine how our future is shaped.”
Many of the students who passed by didn’t identify with either party, but their peers in the beforementioned groups did everything possible to inform them.
“I don’t really have a party affiliation, but I liked how they have the information about the candidates there,” said Kylie Otteson, a freshman bioengineering major from Bountiful. “I think that will help me to get more involved with my decision – instead of just showing up and voting.”