By: Kendall Stump
Sophia Ellis, a student at the University of Central Florida, said registering to vote was a quick and easy process.
“They handed me what was basically a piece of paper, I filled in a couple of blanks, and handed it right back in,” she said. “It was all very simple.”
Oct. 9 is a fast approaching deadline for those who have not yet registered to vote for the November presidential election but at UCF, registered student organizations are making it very easy for students on the run.
Monday through Friday, there are tables set up outside of the student union on campus representing the College Republicans and College Democrats. Students can register when there is someone eligible to register voters. For the most part, any table that a student chooses to register at is non-partisan and will not influence his or her decision about party loyalty.
Jennifer Theodore, a UCF student representative from the College Republicans organization, admits that a lot of students don’t even want to get involved because they think registering to vote can be such a hassle, but it really isn’t. Even when there is not an eligible person to register students at the table, the representatives can direct you exactly to the websites where you can register on your own.
The secretary of the College Democrats organization, Katherine Whitton, says that they have registered a fair number of students and will keep registering up until the deadline.
“Our goal is to register at least 20 percent of the student body of UCF,” she said.
When it comes to being an educated voter, these tables can also help students out. The organizations inform students about their respective parties and the party’s platforms. If a student needs information beyond what the representatives can give, they are directed to precise websites, or encouraged to visit the supervisor of elections for a complete list of candidates and information.
To Kathryn Tromba, a registered voter and student at UCF, it is important that students register so that they have a vote to cast on the day of election. She is not part of the group that believes her vote does not count.
“Our generation is the up and coming, and therefore our votes are the ones that count the most,” she said. “Unfortunately, there is only a small group that knows a lot about the election and a large group that does not.”
It is the goal of these student organizations as well as community groups like the League of Women Voters Orange County to educate anyone who wants to know more about the politics of the election and register them so that their opinions count. President Ann Hellmuth and her team are a non-partisan resource for citizens looking to register to vote and are supportive of the tables that sit outside of the student union.
“I think students who walk all the way across campus to sit down at a table where they can learn information about the parties appreciate their right to vote,” she said. “I think it’s silly not to vote!”
