First time voter and her plan on Election Day
Jahquay felt as though she was becoming a part of history by making sure that everyone knows how important this election is.
Jahquay wears her Obama shirt patiently waiting for November 4. Photo by Christina Payne.
This is one of several election stories, or vignette, submitted by Professor Santus’s journalism classes. These articles provide glimpses into the election process that our students and faculty are experiencing during the time leading up to the election.
This election has to be one of the most exciting elections of all time. As the final days approach until November 4th, the country is anxiously waiting the announcement of the next President of the United States. For months now, you have seen posters on lawns, stickers on cars, and pins on the backpacks of students walking to class. The Presidential election of 2008 is very important and everyone across the country has a role to play beginning with a simple task of getting out and voting.
Jahquay Sexton is a student here at Bloomsburg University who is very excited about the upcoming election. As many students here on campus, this will be her first time voting for a president. She mentioned that on November 4th her main priority is getting out to vote and making sure that those who are registered do the same. While talking to Jahquay, I have to mention she knows her information when it comes to voting. She brought to my attention that out of the young people registered to vote ages 18-25, 28 percent do not go to the polls on Election Day. She said when she learned about this early on in the election she made it her job to ask at least one person a day were they registered to vote. According to Jahquay, she has gained a lot of passion for this election. She paid more attention to politics then ever before.
Jahquay felt as though she was becoming a part of history by making sure that everyone knows how important this election is. “Since the beginning of this election I have been empowered to be a part of something greater than myself, and I have to admit it feels good,” she said.
On Election Day, she and a group of friends have come up with a plan to make sure that those here on campus who are apart of the 18- 25-year-olds who are registered get out and vote by taking a person with them to the polls. She said, even if it’s random people, they will go up to them and ask if they voted yet. If they say “no,” then they’ll take them along to the polls. Jahquay refers to this plan as “Take a Buddy to Vote.”
She doesn’t just want the buddy system to be limited to her and her friends, so to get the word out she put it as her status on Facebook to reach everyone throughout campus. To bring election night to an end Jahquay and friends plan to order wings and pizza to watch the votes come in as the new President of the United States is named.
