The president of the League of Women Voters in Orange County calls for more early voting sites for students on campus.
Ann Hellmuth is the current president of the League of Women Voters in Orange County. This national organization is dedicated to promoting fair election practices among both candidates and voters all over the country. One issue that stands unresolved is the lack of early voting sites on college campuses in Florida.
“What the legislature essentially has done… is make it really hard for students to access early voting locations,” said Deirdre Macnab, president of the Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters.
As of right now, the only way for students to make it to these locations, outside of driving there by themselves, is a student-run carpool system that uses vans to transport students from UCF to the early voting location.
“It seemed like the system was working a little, but there has to be a better way to do it,” said one student.
Many people can’t make time to go to the polls on Election Day because of conflicting schedules and prior commitments.
“There was no way I could make it on [Election Day] because I work,” said another student.
Students like these rely on early voting to cast their ballot, but even students who do make it out to these locations may face difficulties that prevent them from taking advantage of early voting. Hellmuth described an incident involving a bomb scare in Orlando that halted nearby early voting locations during the last election.
The incident made it impossible for anyone to cast his or her ballot on that day. The lack of voting locations on campus also creates another serious problem for students hoping to cast their vote- incredibly long lines.
“Students at UCF wait in line for hours and, in many cases, are waiting to vote even after the election has been called. That’s disgraceful. That’s unacceptable,” said Macnab.
Some students, like Jennifer Jochman, see waiting in line as a hassle and are even dissuaded from voting because of this. Students like this see only one solution to the problem.
“Early voting areas on campus could reduce the size of lines and make the voting process easier, and maybe make people more inclined to vote,” said Jochman.
There are currently no early voting areas on college campuses in Florida despite the fact that supervisors of elections have been asking for more of these locations. Although there is much support from these supervisors and organizations like the League of Women Voters, provisions for more early voting sites are not being made.
“You can’t just sit on your hands and expect change to happen,” said Hellmuth.
Students are called to be involved in the political community by getting out to the polls to vote and give voice to their needs and opinions.
“If there’s one hope that I have… it’s that [students] put their hands on the steering wheel and get involved. One of the best ways that they can do that is through voting,” said Macnab.
