Voter Registration Drive Targets Students

By Hazel Scott/ASU
Let your voice be heard: Vote! Alabama State University has made a commitment to making democratic participation a core value on its campus. To honor that commitment, the Office of Student Life and ASU Athletic Department will host Voter Registration Drives from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday on the front steps of the Dunn-Oliver Acadome until the Voter Registration Deadline. Kamela D. Kennedy, Student Life Coordinator, invites students to take part in the political process by exercising their right to vote. “It might feel like one vote won’t make a difference, but there’s strength in numbers as in ASU students,” Kennedy said. According to the Pew Research Center, millennials and Gen Z will comprise 37 percent of eligible voters in 2020. Manning the voter registration tables are Dr. Derrick Bell, interim director of Judicial Affairs; Yolanda DeBardelaben, administrative secretary for the Office of Student Affairs/Enrollment Management; and Lathan Bennett Jr., assistant director for Academic Services for Student-Athletes. To vote, students must be a United States citizen, 18 years old on or before the general election, reside in Alabama, have not been convicted of a disqualifying felony (or have rights restored), and have not been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court. "Voter Registration is at the heart of democratic engagement," Kennedy said. "Voting is important because it impacts your day-to-day life and future. College students' votes play a vital role in shaping our nation and local communities. A pivotal reason why ASU encourages students to register to vote, to be changers." |