The Student Government Association is encouraging students to register to vote for the upcoming presidential election through a campaign called ACU Votes.
To participate, all students need to do to become registered in Taylor County is visit the SGA office in the Campus Center basement and fill out a change of address form. This will allow students to vote in Abilene instead of traveling back home. Students have until Saturday to fill this form out.
SGA executive officers are all trained volunteer deputy registrars and are available to help students become registered. Students can stop by from 3-5 p.m. to get registered.
“We need you to vote, we want you to vote, we want you to be educated and make the decision however you want to,” said SGA President Josh Springer. “It is completely neutral; it is not biased in any way. It is simply to try and get students registered into the polls.”
Springer, a senior financial management major from Helotes, said it is critical to vote in an election that is this polarizing.
“The importance of voting, I think, is just obvious in that you are deciding what the future of the country holds,” Springer said. “Things like that are going to be decided from this election, whichever way you lean on the ticket.”
Tamil Adele, SGA’s director of student engagement and recruitment, also expressed the importance of students utilizing the right to vote.
“Right now, most people do know this. We are in pretty much an election that is going to make history, one way or the other. This is a historical election, and so utilizing the right that we have gives everybody an opportunity to have their voice heard in some way,” said Adele, a senior criminal justice major from Midland.
Young voters continue to have the lowest turnout rate of all age groups. Some are under the impression that their singular vote does not matter in an election. Springer said while this feeling is valid, it is also not accurate.
“If everybody has that mindset then nobody’s voting and then our votes really won’t count, so if you don’t vote, … that’s when it’s not gonna count,” Adele said.
For students who are not up to date with politics, there is still time to research and decide who is going to make the changes you want to see. Springer and Adele suggested that students find neutral sources to research the candidates.
Springer said it is important for students to look at as many different news outlets and articles as possible. He suggested that students talk to people, ask for their opinions and be willing to hear what they might not want to hear.
“Ask questions. There’s so many groups on campus. We have ACU Democrats, ACU Republicans, Young Democratic Socialists, on campus that want to answer your questions,” Adele said.
Closer to election day, SGA will put signs up around campus to let students know where the polling sites are. This information will also be posted on SGA’s Instagram story.
