By Cat Hosch
On Nov. 4th, Texas residents will have the chance to vote once more for state, county and city political offices. Southwestern students are always encouraged to take part in the growth of their community through the voting process. However, many students away from home are not registered in the Georgetown area to vote. Students may register for their votes to be counted within their hometown, or register to vote in Georgetown.
A group of students deputized in Williamson County will assist fellow classmates in registering for the upcoming elections. Known as SU Votes, this group is not an organization but a team led by senior Elizabeth Bell. SU Votes is a new group that assists in representing college students in the polls.
“Voting is essential for college students as an underrepresented population in the voting arena,” Bell said.
Bell hopes SU Votes will assist students to become more active in the community by participating more in the local elections each year.
“This project’s mission is to educate students about elections and facilitate political participation of students in a non-biased, non-partisan way,” Bell said.
She added that SU Votes will not only be assisting with registration, but will also provide some information about each of the candidates running for office in the community. SU Votes hopes to educate students about each position in the election so that students may make informed decisions at the polls. The deputized students assisted in the celebrations of Constitution Day. Later they will host some local officials to inform students about community issues from both political parties.
This new group will assist students with any questions or concerns they may have about the voting process. Registration is a matter of filling out government forms, and SU Votes will have copies of the forms for students. They will also send them in to state for processing in efforts to make the process as simple as possible for students.
“Southwestern students have important voices that will only be taken seriously by our government if we show up to the polls on Election Day,” Bell said. “Right now, we have the unique opportunity to retake our democracy and lead the way for politically actives campuses around the nation.”