In an effort to help register students in the last stretch before midterm elections, the BC Young Democrats Club hosted a “Register and Vote!” tabling event in recognition of National Voter Education Week.
LJ Olivarez II, senior and President of the Young Democrats, stressed the importance of voting as college students and how their registration efforts are all rooted in good faith.
“As young adults, if we want our voices heard in the American government, we have the privilege of being able to go out and vote on issues that are important to us,” Olivarez said. “Living in a democracy gives us that right to express our concerns at the polls by being able to vote on these various issues.”
Olivarez also mentioned the difficulties the club has faced in trying to register students as a Democratic club on a largely Republican campus.
“One of our goals is also to mend the ties between these two parties that divide our students; it’s not an “us versus them” situation and that mentality has been seen a lot in the past few years especially,” Olivarez said. “We all live in the same country, and now state, so I think it’s fair to say that it’s crucial we all come together and have these important discussions to see both sides and learn to resolve these issues.”
The Young Democrats have been aiming to educate students on the process of switching their voter registration to the state of Kansas.
Amber Mascareñas, senior and Vice President of the Young Dems, said that most students who they’ve helped register didn’t realize this option even existed.
“As students in Kansas we are able to register in this state to vote in elections that affect us more directly now,” Mascareñas says. “For BC students this is especially important because most of the students on this campus are from out of state and so a lot of us are registered to vote back home instead of here.”
Mascareñas added that students be cautious when choosing this option, making sure they only vote in either Kansas or their home state but not both. Students who wish to pass on this option should request an absentee ballot from their home state if they will not be present for in-person voting.
The last day to register to vote in midterm elections in Kansas is October 18. For more information on how to register or to check your voter registration status visit vote.gov.
