Tables lined Trousdale Parkway for the Annual National Voter Registration Fair on Tuesday, organized by the USC Center for the Political Future.
Several student organizations and community partners from across Los Angeles gathered at USC for the event.
Philip Rasmussen, director of operations of the USC Political Union, said the event keeps students informed.
“For me, I think civic engagement is really important and it’s really the cornerstone, not only of democracy, which is, of course really important to USC, and I guess, America’s ideals as a whole, but also having an educated society,” sophomore Rasmussen said. “I think civic engagement really is what builds an educated voter base.”
The event’s main goal is to get students organized to vote, but it also works as an involvement fair where students and members of the community can talk about civil engagement and find ways to participate in the political conversation, Program Administrator and Event Organizer Diego Andrades said.
“The best outcome today is that we can get USC students registered to vote,” Andrades said. “Just making sure that students are registered to vote, that they know that there’s an election happening in November in California, and then, that they know there are elections happening across the country, whatever state they may come from, they have the tools necessary to vote if they choose to do so.”
The fair also connects out-of-state students with the resources they need to cast their vote. The TurboVote link works at a nationwide level, allowing out-of-state students to register to vote and get their mail-in ballots. Some states may have stricter voter registration requirements, according to Andrades.
Andrades said events like these are important because young voters, 18 to 24 year olds, are some of the least represented in terms of voting.
Ruby Belt, administrative coordinator for the USC Center for the Political Future said she thinks it’s important for students to register to vote, even though 2025 is an off year, as there are no midterm or presidential elections. Belt said sometimes people may not know they need to vote.
“So people often think that they don’t have to vote. But in California, for example, there’s a special election about redistricting that’s really important, as well as in many other states, there’s also statewide special elections and local special elections,” Belt said.
As the director of philanthropy for Tri Delta, Belt said Tri Delta members are involved with politics and with the Center for the Political Future, which is why Belt felt motivated to work with the center in bringing awareness to voting registration in both their chapter and the wider Greek community.
USC Center for the Political Future also offered an internship program during the fair that helps students gain practical experience and understand how politics can be accessible to them, according to Steph Domond, program specialist. The program is offered not only to students with a political science or international relations focus, but to students who are interested in doing work in the public sector, Domond said.
Rasmussen said last year’s fair helped him to not only receive his mail-in ballot but also to get an internship with the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.
Those interested in learning more about registering to vote can visit turbovote.com.