Did you know millennials are the largest part of the United States population? Did you also know that even though we are the largest part of the population, we had the least amount of voters in the last presidential election turn up to the polls? Being away at school, many people say they are too busy to vote, or think since they are not at home, they can’t vote without going home. Some even think their vote does not matter. This is not true: You are not too busy, you can vote at school, and your vote does matter.
West Chester University has a goal to engage students on all things presidential election-themed by working with Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP), a national non-partisan organization working with colleges and universities across the country to engage as many students, faculty, and staff as possible. The Service-Learning and Volunteer Programs office, as well as Dr. Chris Stangl from the Department of Political Science, have been putting a lot of effort into this incredible project.
WCU has made voter registration a lot easier for its students by teaming up with TurboVote, an online voter site that makes registering fast and simple. With this site, you are able to register online to vote, register under your WCU address if you want to vote in West Chester (dorms included), request an absentee ballot and learn your correct polling location.
Monday, March 28 is the last day to register yourself if you want to vote in the primary election on Tuesday, April 26. To get as many students registered before the deadline, there have been tables set up around campus in the library, Sykes and outside of the dining hall. These efforts to engage and register students will not stop after the primary deadline because WCU is hoping to inform and involve their students on politics in a proactive way. Though after the primary deadline you will not be able to vote in the primary election, you can still vote in the general presidential election this upcoming November.
If you have missed the tables, or don’t have enough time to register during your day, be sure to do so on your own by going to https://wcu.turbovote.org/register. If you are unsure of which candidate is right for you or what party you should affiliate yourself with, be sure to talk to the College Democrats or College Republicans to learn more. They have meetings each week and Facebook pages found through their OrgSync pages.
By not practicing your right to vote, you are just hoping those who do vote will vote the way you would have. So why not just do it on your own? To stay up to date on all things regarding elections in a nonpartisan way, follow WCU_Votes or like Dub C Votes on social media. Remember, it is our future, so let your voice be heard. Register to vote.
Aileen Assumma is a second-year student majoring in English literature. They can be reached at AA823823@wcupa.edu