Registering Huskies
National Voter Registration Day was Tuesday
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HOUGHTON -- Students, faculty and staff from the Michigan Tech Voter Engagement Coalition were spread out across campus Tuesday in hopes of getting Huskies registered to vote and to inform them on how to be engaged with their communities.
National Voter Registration Day this year was yesterday, marking less than two months out from the Midterm Election on Nov. 3. Student Leadership and Involvement Director and member of the Voter Engagement Coalition Danielle Meirow said this is a non-partisan effort to link voter engagement with local government involvement.
"We have a voter engagement group on campus that is composed of faculty, staff and students who feel that folks engaging in our democracy should be a priority," she said. "We plan different events throughout the fall, typically to engage students in getting active in their communities, including voting and registering to vote."
Meirow said students voting in elections is important, no matter what side they are on, because of their poor turnout rate historically. "In the 2024 election, 18-24 year-olds had the lowest voting rate of any age range," she said. "We're just trying to set them up for success while they're getting started."
The Coalition tabled at several locations across campus from 10 a.m. thru 3 p.m., including on Walker Lawn and inside the MUB. Additionally, a Michigan Secretary of State Mobile Office was set up in the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Students could check their voter registration or start the process of renewing their driver’s license as well as their vehicle registration -- among other things the station offered.
One student said the option of having the SOS mobile office on campus saved him time on the ORV registration on his new snowmobile. "It [mobile office] saves me from having to walk up to my car and drive over there," second-year student Asher Jacob said. "It's just right here on campus. It's really accessible."
According to Meirow, the Voter Engagement Coalition has one student representative, but a good amount of student volunteers. Engineering management fifth-year Chloe Hart was one student who volunteered as a part of a sociology course assignment.
Hart said one barrier to voting access students face is the distance between their college and their home. "I feel like it's a little intimidating because, at Tech, most people are 8+ hours away from their hometown. A lot of people are out of state," she said. "Making people aware of their options so that voting can be whatever suits you."
Elizabeth Benyi from the League of Women Voters in the Copper Country helped table in the MUB. Benyi said getting registered for the first time is another barrier students have to cross in order to participate in the voting process. "Once you become engaged, you tend to stay engaged throughout your life," she said. "Starting at a younger age, and getting involved, getting into the process makes you appreciate what your rights and your responsibilities really are."
To register to vote in Michigan or to check your registration, visit michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/.