Heather Maniel ~ Staff Writer
The election is coming up, and if you’re not registered to vote, you may want to keep in mind that in order to vote you must be registered 22 days before the election date in Va.
In an attempt to help students register, the Student Government Association, SGA, is running voter registration events. Roughly 21 percent of voters during the 2014 elections were young adults, aged between 19 and 24.
“Voter registration allows students to become civically engaged in their communities by becoming involved in American democracy. We help students register to vote and become better educated about the political and voting process, and we have established a voter registration committee on campus,” said Michael Wertz, a senior on the committee for voter registration for the SGA.
Voter registration is run by the SGA, Office of Community Involvement (OCI), the Bonner Leader Program and, Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Sally Selden’s office. There are many events coming up, so if you’re not registered yet, all you need to do is bring two forms of identification to one of the events.
“If [students] are from other states, we have information on registering,” said Ashley Moore, senior and SGA representative.
The SGA focuses on getting students involved in their community and campus. If you aren’t from this area, there is still a way to vote without having to drive back home.
“Absentee voting varies by state, but being away from home to attend a college or university qualifies a voter to request an absentee ballot. In most states, you can request an absentee ballot online, and it will then be sent to you in the mail,” said Wertz.
You can pick up a form for absentee voting at one of the Voter Registration events being held on campus. On Sept. 20 and Oct. 4, voter registration will occur outside of the cafeteria in the Drysdale Student Center where information on how to vote will be presented from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
National Voter Registration day is Sept. 27, and the SGA along with OCI will be holding a themed lunch in the Cafeteria. On Presidential Election Day, Nov. 8, SGA and OCI will hold a tailgating party in Westover.
“We want students to come out; we will have music and food and are going to sit, have fun, and wait until the results are out,” said Moore.
The SGA will also have different incentives and ways to get the student body involved, which they are not fully disclosing yet. If you would like to find out more information on how to be involved, contact Chris Gibbons at gibbons.c@lynchburg.edu.