Voter registration encouraged as deadlines approach

Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier deputy news editor

Voter registration and absentee ballot deadlines are quickly approaching with primary elections occurring this spring and the general election in November. 

Registration deadlines vary by state. In Georgia, voters must submit their registration application 29 days before Election Day either online, by mail or in person at a county elections office. Associate Professor of Political Science Eric Sands said that students should register as soon as possible to avoid complications.  

“Students kind of get jazzed up to vote and everything, but they’re within that 29-day window and then find out they’re excluded from being able to register,” Sands said. “Do it now, so if there’s any complications or there’s any issue with the registration process you can get it sorted out prior to the election.”

In Georgia, new voters should register by Feb. 12 to vote in the presidential primaries on Mar. 12 and by April 22 to vote in the local primaries on May 21. 

The only document required to register online in Georgia is a state driver’s license or photo ID card. Those who do not drive can get a state ID card from the Department of Driver Services with a birth certificate or passport, Social Security Number and two documents demonstrating Georgia residency. 

Many college students who are living away from home during election season face particular challenges voting. Though many students may reside at college during elections, Sands said most should register at their home address unless they plan on permanently relocating to Rome. 

“It’s wherever your permanent address or wherever you’re registered there, that’s where you can register to vote and that’s where you can vote,” Sands said. “If you’ve purchased an apartment here and you’re living at Berry full-time and you’ve established this as your permanent residence, then you could register here.”

Out-of-state students should pay attention to their home state’s registration deadlines and requirements. This information is easily found on the Secretary of State’s website for each state, according to Sands. 

“The Secretary of State is in charge of elections and would be in charge of voter registration,” Sands said. “Things like voter registration and ‘vote’ are usually featured pretty prominently on their websites so you can just go there, click on it.”

Most Berry students who do not live in Floyd County will likely be voting in this year’s elections with absentee ballots, which can be requested on Georgia’s Secretary of State website. 

The process to request an absentee ballot underwent major changes with legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2021. The Election Integrity Act placed a limit on the number of absentee drop-off boxes and moved the deadline to request an absentee ballot to 11 days before Election Day.  

Sands said that this year’s elections will likely reveal how the act, which has undergone legal challenges, has affected   voter participation. 

“I think we’re going to have to get a couple of election cycles under our belt before we can have any measurable results that it’s suppressing voter turnout or it’s maybe encouraging voter turnout,” Sands said. “I think we’ll know that soon, but it’s a little too early for us to know that yet.”

Though youth turnout has increased in recent elections, young people still vote at lower rates than the rest of the population. According to the US Census Bureau, 51% of those aged 18 to 24 voted in the 2020 election, compared to 76% of those aged 65 to 74. Sands said that he sees an especially apolitical climate at Berry. 

“We just don’t have a very politically dynamic campus,” Sands said. “We don’t even have a college Republicans organization. We have a college Democrats organization, but I think it’s fairly small. There’s certainly no third-party organizations; there’s no other overtly political organizations on campus.”

Sands attributed students’ apathy to the extreme polarization of today’s politics. 

“I think there’s also a distaste among the youth for politics,” Sands said. “Politics has become extremely vitriolic. It’s nasty. People are just fighting all the time. There’s not a lot there that’s appealing.”

Although many students may appear to be apolitical, Director of Student Involvement David Eller said that many may just be wary of sharing their opinions. 

“Based on my one year of being here at Berry, I don’t think students are apolitical,” Eller said. “I think they are sometimes worrisome about just discussing how they feel. The generation of students we are bringing in, specifically at Berry, are more politically versed and they are more concerned about politics and how that affects them and their future.”

This year, the Office of Student Involvement will be planning events to get students politically engaged under the social media slogan #BerryVotes. The Office of Diversity and Belonging’s promotion of a good neighbor culture is the basis of this effort, according to Eller. 

“I think it takes us remembering some of the things we’ve learned through the good neighbor challenge and the culture of belonging,” Eller said. “Making sure if someone has a different opinion than yours, they still feel like their opinion is just as valid.”

OSI also plans on partnering with organizations such as Volunteer Services to host tabling and information sessions on the voter registration process, starting with March’s presidential primary. They also plan on making the Krannert Info Desk a source for voting information.

“Making sure that students understand and are educated on how to vote to make sure we are hopefully avoiding that barrier that a lot of students face—we are going to be doing a lot of education, advocacy around that,” Eller said. 

OSI intends on operating shuttles to take local students to polling places on Election Day in November. Eller encouraged all students to take advantage of their right to vote this year. 

“I think it’s totally okay for us to be sitting in a classroom next to someone who may be voting for someone different than us,” Eller said. “As long as we are educated in our vote and we are practicing our right as Americans to vote, I think that’s what’s most important.”