The Student Government Association is working to make voter registration easier for students with a table in the MSC this week.
Jeff Claybrook, communications executive vice president of the executive cabinet, said anyone can stop by the table in the 12th Man Hall to register.
“We also hand out voter registration cards so people can grab them and go if they’re in a hurry,” Claybrook said. “They can fill them out and mail them in on their own.”
Claybrook and Hannah Wimberly, public relations vice president for the executive cabinet, have been deputized by the voter registrar of Brazos County, which gives them the authority to handle registration forms for the county. Wimberly said this initiative came about after Nandita Berry, Texas secretary of state, visited campus over the summer to discuss the Vote Texas campaign.
Wimberly said that since Monday, when the table was first set up, she estimates about 75 students have registered to vote and more have picked up forms.
“It’s hard to track the ones that people take with them because we don’t know if they actually mail them,” Wimberly said. “We hope that they do.”
Claybrook said SGA encourages students to register to vote in Brazos County because the decisions made impact students throughout the year.
“We found a lot of students are registered to vote, they’re just voting in their home county, which is fine,” Claybrook said. “The reason why we’re encouraging them to vote here is because they’re going to be in College Station and Brazos County for nine out of 12 months of the year, so the elections are likely to have a bigger impact on them than the elections in their home county.”
Wimberly said students should not be deterred from registering and voting because they think their vote does not matter.
“It’s an important way to let your voice be heard,” Wimberly said. “I’ve had people tell me that, ‘Oh, my vote doesn’t matter.’ A couple of years ago, there was an election in Brazos County that was decided by two votes, so your voice really does matter and every single vote counts.”
Wimberly said there have been registration changes and that preparing students makes the process of going to the polls stress free.
“You are now required to have a photo ID to go vote, which is something new that a lot of people don’t know,” Wimberly said.”
The table will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday in the 12th Man Hall. Students can also pick up a voter registration card from Koldus 126 until Oct. 6, which is the final day of registration.