Time is ticking, and in order to vote in the November elections you must be registered by October 6th. The American Democracy project will be on campus in front of the LSC mall area today from 10-12 p.m. and on Thursday from 12-2 p.m. to help students register to vote in the 2008 general election on November 4th.
The American Democracy project, a nonpartisan organization, is trying to get students engaged with specific affairs such as government.
“There are any number of issues that affect students these days, from the job market to the cost of tuition. I think it’s incredibly important to vote if you want to have your voice heard. If you want be able to have a say in who’s going to represent you, then you need to get registered and you need to vote,” Stacy Ulbig, Assistant Professor in the Political Science Department said.
Thus far the efforts of the organizations has been successful.
“We started at the beginning of the month. We’ve helped a lot of people transfer registrations from other counties to here, so we’ve done quite a few. We’ve been here for 10 days with probably 30-40 registered each day, so we’ve had about 300-400 people,” Ulbig said
According to Ulbig, the Young Democrats, whose numbers could be even greater, have also held a registration drive.
To register you must be a U.S citizen.
“That is the biggest requirement that could disqualify you. Other than that, if you want to register here to vote in Walker County you need to have a Walker County address, which includes campus addresses and students who live in town part time,” Ulbig said.
As long as you have an address where you reside at least part of the year in Huntsville, you can use that address to register in Huntsville. Otherwise, if you are a commuting student who lives in another county, you’ll need to register in the county in which you live.
Normally you would register with the county registrar’s office. In Walker County that is at the County Courthouse Annex building.
The Annex building is located on Sam Houston Ave. just off the square. It is the white building next to the Donut Wheel.
“There is a sign on the door when you walk in that says voter registrar and that’s where you would want to go,” Ulbig said.
Registering to vote is a simple process.
“You fill out a short form, answer a few questions about your citizenship and age to make sure you are old enough. You have to be at least 18 on the day of the election. Then you simply fill out your address, birthday, driver’s license number, or social security number. Something to prove who you are basically,” Ulbig said.
If you do not have a driver’s license or Texas identification card then you will need your social security card.
But after registering you should remember the most important part – vote.
“It’s important for people to remember that registering is only half the battle, you’ve got to go and actually vote after you’ve registered. So don’t forget once you’ve registered to go and actually cast a ballot,” Ulbig said.