Student organizations and other groups on Kennesaw State’s campuses are continuing to encourage students to register to vote after 220 students registered during the university’s Constitution Week last month.
According to a TurboVote representative, 407 KSU students have registered to vote from the beginning of this year. Out of those 407 students, 220 registered over the course of Constitution Week.
Ryan Keesee, the assistant director of the Department of Civic Engagement, said that the department will be hosting an additional registration opportunity on Tuesday, Oct. 9, during the Campus Safety Day event as this is the last day to register to vote.
“Additionally, be on the lookout for a special event from our Campus Election Engagement Project fellows in November where they will be sharing information about voting plans, ballot measures and getting everyone excited to get out and vote,” Keesee said.
Constitution Week is part of an annual nationwide effort among colleges and universities coordinated through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project, according to KSU’s website.
KSU hosted its annual Constitution Week from Sept. 17 to Sept. 25 where students had the opportunity to participate in nonpartisan events and educational activities.
Constitution Week held multiple events on both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses to inform and encourage students to engage in local elections.
During Constitution Week, there were multiple voter registration and education booths set up where students could register to vote, check polling locations, obtain absentee ballots and change their registration address, according to KSU’s website.
A panel presentation was held during the Constitution Con event where students from the School of Government and International Affairs discussed the Constitution and how our lives would be different without it.
According to KSU’s website, there was a screening of the movie “One Vote” in the English Building, which captures the stories of diverse voters on Election Day in 2016.
KSU also held a mock senatorial debate at the ARC Amphitheater where students could witness how a debate is organized and then vote for the winner, according to the website.
President of the College Libertarians at KSU Ridge Liggin spoke about the importance of participating in elections as a college student.
“Your vote is important, but you really need to focus on why you’re voting the way you are,” Liggin said. “Registering is a good first step.”
A parent of a KSU student, Molly Ball, was handing out flyers on campus that encouraged students to register to vote, to conduct research on their candidates and to go vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Ball said voting is one of the most important decisions a college student will make in their entire life.
The 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election will take place on Nov. 6 concurrently with other statewide and local elections to elect the next Governor of Georgia. The Democratic nominee for Governor is Stacey Abrams, and the Republican nominee for Governor is Brian Kemp.
According to Stacey Abram’s campaign website, she plans to fully fund public schools, prioritize safe schools, strengthen pathways to debt-free graduation and give educators the tools they need in their careers.
According to Brian Kemp’s campaign website, he plans to fully fund public schools, raise teacher pay, improve literacy with early childhood education and ensure that all students have access to a quality education.
Students who are registered to vote and need to check the status of their voter registration or get a sample ballot to know who their candidates are, visit mvp.sos.ga.gov. If a student has not yet registered to vote or needs to request an absentee ballot, they can visit kennesaw.turbovote.org.