BU is Taking Action to Increase Student Voting
The 2016 Presidential election is quite a big one, and now more than ever people are being encouraged to exercise their right to vote. Young people, mostly college students, often get a bad rep for their lack of care and failure to exercise their voting right. But here at Bloomsburg, we’re trying to change that.
On March 2, a campus-wide voter registration drive was held with tables set up in various locations all over campus. Students and townspeople alike volunteered their time to encourage students to register to vote. About 200 students registered to vote that day, and another drive will be hosted on March 22 to add even more students to that list.
The drive is totally bi-partisan, so you may register with the party of your choosing or choose to be affiliated with neither without judgement. If students are already registered to vote at home, they are encouraged to stop by a table anyway to change their voting address to their Bloomsburg one – because the primary election will be April 26, a Tuesday, so students will likely not be home to vote. If you live on campus, there will be a poll set up in the Kehr Union on Election Day. If you live off-campus, you will vote in one of the Bloomsburg polls, such as the town hall, depending on your address.
Voter registration can be done online at votespa.com. The voter registration drive had and will have computers set up so that students may do their registration online. If a student does not have a PA drivers’ license or does not have one on them at the time of the drive, they may fill out a paper registration using the last four digits of their social security number and their forms will be handed in for them by members of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, which is hosting the bi-partisan event.
Students should keep in mind that the last day to register or change an address in order to vote in the Pennsylvania primary election is March 28. They should also keep in mind that in order to vote in the primary election in Pa., one must be registered as either a Democrat or a Republican. If you wish to vote for a specific candidate but are registered as an independent, for this particular election it may not be a bad idea to register with the party that your favorite candidate is running for.
The March 2 drive was a huge success, and hopefully the March 22 one will be as well. Keep in mind how fortunate we are to have the right to vote, and how important it is to vote for the candidate you think is best suited to lead our country. So everyone get out there, register, exercise your right, and make a difference in this year’s election!
