Americans are only a few months away from electing their next president. For about 25 MSMS seniors, November will be their first opportunity to participate in a presidential election. The Young Democrats club successfully registered all eligible MSMS seniors to vote in the upcoming election during the voter registration drive on Aug. 22.
The organizational efforts started earlier in the week as volunteers posted flyers around campus and set up a table in the Hooper Academic Building lobby. Young Democrats President Morgan Smith said bringing the event to fruition was easy because of the volunteers’ receptiveness.
“I did a lot of the footwork. I printed out posters, which was kind of tricky because we can’t send out mass emails,” she said. “People were … really willing to help out, which I thought was great.”
Smith said she noticed a bipartisan effort between members of Young Democrats and Young Republicans.
“It’s been nice to see where the two clubs have come together to do this important thing,” she said.
Organizers of the drive also emphasized the importance of making the process as easy as possible for students. MSMS senior Lucas Sloan said the registration process was, “pretty straightforward.”
“They had a [template] out with everything highlighted for where to write things. I wasn’t coming into class thinking I was going to register to vote today, but I had all the things I needed in order to register to vote, so it was perfect,” Sloan said.
History teacher Chuck Yarborough, who sponsors both the Young Democrats and Young Republicans, said Thursday’s drive was a success and he is, “excited that students seem enthusiastic about political participation.”
“We had 100% of the eligible students register to vote in the Nov. 5 election,” Yarborough said. “We will do another voter registration drive [after the election], cosponsored by the political clubs, and hopefully we can get 100% of the eligible students [registered] to vote.
“The first step toward expressing your voice in our society is by beginning to figure out what you think and beginning to act. Voting is the entry-level to doing that,” he added.
