NEWS EDITOR – ASHTON JEFFERS
Amid all the fall festivities in October, another is quickly approaching. October is the month for early voting in Texas, a method that many residents appreciate and utilize during their busy work and school schedules during the fall. In order to get to the polls and vote, voter information and education are things that especially young voters look for during this time, particularly when new students are adjusting to campus life and are away from home. One of the best ways to help voters during this time is to provide them with options that best suit their needs and fit with their schedules.
This September, one might have seen the various student-led and non-profit organizations around campus encouraging students and faculty to register to vote if they have not already, and providing information about how to check which county they are registered in. Students who want to vote in their home county can apply for a ballot by mail, which applies to those who will be out of the county they are registered in during the early voting period or on election day in October and November. If not able to apply for a mail-in ballot, voters can change their address information to be in the county they currently reside in.
Plenty of student-led organizations have been active around campus, encouraging those registered and unregistered to vote to check their status before the deadline, which ends on Oct. 11. Tese voter registration drives have been ongoing for the last couple of weeks in September, led by student chapters of nonpartisan, nonproft groups such as Mobilize. Organize. Vote. Empower. Texas (MOVE), Texas and Jolt Action. These organizations are Texas based voter advocacy groups that meet students and faculty where they are and provide information and opportunities for those interested in upcoming elections. Te St. Mary’s University chapters are led by students who are trained as voter registrars to inform and guide students and community members through the voting process.
For St. Mary’s MOVE Texas chapter, this is their first time being on campus. “MOVE has been super welcoming,” says senior political science major, Karah Renfroe. “We focus more on building relationships on campus when it comes to voting. Anyone on campus can join our chapter.” Several of these groups were particularly active and energized around the week of Oct. 3 through Oct. 7, holding voter registration tables in common spaces on campus such as the University Center during class time hours. Karah also explained that when they held one of their first voter registration drives on Sept. 20, about 30 students were registered to vote, which she said was an extremely high turn-out.
To be more accessible to students, organizations also have held voter registration drives in St. Mary’s residence halls during the evening hours this same week. Seeing student-led advocacy organizations during this time can help show students who are on campus and might not be familiar with the San Antonio area that they can have options and resources when it comes to using their voice and right to cast their vote. This can be impactful for those who are voting for the first time in a general election, or students who are living on or around campus and are away from the hometown they might be familiar with voting in. If interested in joining, you can find organizations such as MOVE Texas, Jolt Texas, and Students for Beto at STMU on Instagram and Twitter for more information.
Early voting begins on Oct. 24 and lasts until Nov. 4. St. Mary’s University will have polling locations open on campus. For more information, go to votetexas.gov to check your registration status and the nearest possible voting locations.