Ro Murphy
romurphy@ursinus.edu
Jenni Berrios
jeberrios@ursinus.edu
With a presidential election coming up in 2020, students have an opportunity to register on campus to vote. With the help of the UCARE center, students now have the ability to register here in Collegeville, or they have the option to register to send an absentee ballot for their home address.
Katie Turek, the associate director of UCARE, says, “Last year, we [along with our faculty partners] were able to register 200+ new voters on campus.” Four million people turn 18 every year, and they are among the eligible citizens least likely to cast ballots.
We asked students their thoughts on registering to vote with UCARE.
Senior Margrethe Leis is someone who has participated in all elections she was eligible to vote in, including ones that are local to her home. Leis states, “I think that UCARE makes registering to vote really simple, and if you have any questions they do a really good job of helping you.”
Sophomore Oliviah Rachel also thinks it is important to vote. She states, “You are still able to voice your opinion about where you stand politically.”
Many students like to vote in their hometown elections, but for students that come from out of state, registering to vote at a Collegeville address might give them the opportunity to cast a vote in a swing state.
Sophomore Stephanie Chell hopes more students will take advantage of the opportunity to make their voices heard. Chell states, “I hope that more students will vote because not enough young people voted in the last election, so it is important that more voices are heard.”
UCARE voter registration will continue in Olin Plaza through Oct. 7, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the hope of encouraging more students to register to vote or fill out absentee ballots.
The next Pennsylvania election will be held on Nov. 5, and those registered at Ursinus can vote at the Kaleidoscope. On the ballot are a new Judge for PA Superior Court, judges for the PA Commonwealth, and a new ballot measure to add Marshy’s Law Crime Victim Rights Amendment to the PA Constitution.