Voter fair encourages student registration

With November elections approaching, Student Government (SG) is encouraging students to engage in local politics. 

SG will hold National Voters Registration Day, in partnership with the non-profit Rock the Vote, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) Amphitheater. 

Ashley Garcia, SG’s director of government affairs, said the political fair aims to register students to vote and promote student engagement in politics on a deeper level. 

“It’s really important that students get engaged on a local and state level,” she said. “A lot of those decisions that are being made influence them directly.” 

Students will have the opportunity to meet with approximately 20 local and student-run political organizations to talk about getting involved at the university and local level. 

State Rep. Kathleen Peters of Pinellas County will also talk about civic engagement, registering to vote and the importance of voting. 

“If they want to be able to control the state of their own destiny when it comes to things like need-based grants, financial aid, bright futures, textbook affordability,” Garcia said. “That’s something that’s decided on at the state level, that’s something that this gubernatorial race could have an influence on.” 

While students are encouraged to register at the event today, they can register to vote at any Bull Market or College Democrats and College Republicans events until the Oct. 2 registration cutoff.

The SG office, located on the fourth floor of the Marshall Student Center, also registers students to vote and will submit registration forms on their behalf.

If students prefer not to register in person, they can register on the Rock the Vote website or the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office website where they can print out a registration form and mail it to the Supervisor of Elections Office or drop it off at any of the branches throughout Hillsborough county.