As student traffic rushed through the hall between the Eugene and Billie Yeager Center and the Alumni Dining Commons, a voter registration booth was set up to help students through the process of registering to vote for the 2012 presidential election.
Over the course of nine days, the Riverside County Office of Voter Registration had a representative on campus to help students register for the first time, update information or apply for absentee ballots. A total of 620 students registered at this voter registration drive.
The opportunity to register on campus has been convenient, as schedules and jobs move to the top of a college students’ priority list. More importantly, the general consensus of students on campus has been that it is very important to register and vote in this election year.
Marissa Padilla, senior communications major, registered on campus during the nine-day election drive. She was already planning on registering, but expressed that the convenience of having the option to register on campus was great.
“I want to have a voice in politics, whether that is big or small, it’s important,” Padilla said.
Serbian international student, Jelena Dragovic, senior public relations major, said she believes students should take advantage of registering as well as voting because the process involves deciding about their future.
As an international student, she cannot vote in America but is passionate about American politics and sees a future in the political communications field.
Dragovic said she does not understand those who disregard the elections or refuse to exercise their right to vote.
“It’s ignorance and immaturity; if I had the opportunity to vote I would,” Dragovic said.
