The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future and other political organizations came together Tuesday to celebrate democracy on National Voter Registration Day.
Many students like Rishi Jain, a sophomore at USC Viterbi School of Engineering, registered to vote for the first time.
“Every vote matters,” Jain said. “In some countries, it’s a dictatorship, so you should be very lucky to have a democracy and the opportunity to vote.”
Trojans took to Alumni Park to learn more about what it means to be a part of a democracy. In efforts to increase voter registration, the event’s organizers offered students free food while they engaged with information booths set up by politically-minded student organizations on campus, like Trojan Democrats, USC Republicans and Women in Politics.
Students showed up and set aside political differences to celebrate the right to vote as American citizens.
Jernie Johnson, a senior at Dornsife and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, hosted a table for her sorority to prompt voter registration, “Kamala Harris is a member of our sorority,” she said, “and a huge initiative of ours is voter registration, encouraging young black women to vote.”
Major Yang, a member of the USC College Republicans, said he hopes to provide a conservative space on campus to “let patriots know that they shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are or what they believe in.”
“We’re here because we think it’s important for them to vote, make their voice heard, make a difference,” Yang said.
Kamy Akhavan, the executive director of the Center for the Political Future, explained why it’s important for students to be thrilled about the upcoming election and registered to vote.
“The purpose of an event like today is to have young people realize we have tremendous power. We can make a big difference in elections,” he said. “We want young Trojans to show up, register to vote, and that’s not just students, but faculty staff, you show up too.”
Students can visit www.voteusc.com to register to vote by October 21.