Happy National Voter Registration Day!
Today, September 19th, universities across the United States are making an effort to register young Americans to vote during this non-partisan holiday. They are targeting students who will be eligible to vote for the first time in this coming election. USC hosted numerous political student organizations for a registration event on campus in Alumni Park.
USC junior Sarah Stienecker is the President of VoteSC, a student organization with the goal to register as many Trojans as possible.
Sarah Stienecker: We target a lot of freshmen because they’re just turning 18 to register to vote and be civically engaged in society.
Students had the opportunity to stop and chat about all of their voting questions, including where to find their polling place, how to request an absentee ballot, and they could even score some free food in the meantime.
Pablo Rodriguez is a freshman and newly eligible voter who stopped by the event before class and was impressed by the student initiative that he saw.
Pablo Rodriguez: I feel like like a lot like today you can see like there’s a lot of young people who don’t really, like, go out and do that. And seeing people do that here, especially like, like on campus, is just really cool.
These passionate students are driven to vote by many important issues, according to USC junior Edward Huang.
Edward Huang: I think climate change is a big issue. I think homelessness is a big issue. Obviously. Affordable housing.
The event offered registration for all states, not just California. For Arija Martin of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, this was a chance to bridge political engagement from her hometown to USC.
Arija Martin: I think prioritizing like voting not only in the presidential election but also on the local level is really important because that’s what’s going to have a direct, if not like a more influential impact on like the respective community that you’re in.
Vernon Norman of the L.A. County Republican Party brings the legacy of voting into perspective.
Vernon Norman: We are our parents, grandparents, great parent, grandparents, forefathers, if you will, all fought for their right to vote. And we all believe we have the right to vote. But I think it’s important we understand we also have a responsibility to be involved. That’s really what they fought for, is for us to be involved in the process.
The future of our democracy rests in capable and motivated hands.
If you missed the event today, no problem! You can visit www.voteusc.com and get registered to vote, no matter which state you live in.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Mia Russman.