by Amber Scales, Student Reporter
The Northwestern Oklahoma State University softball team has sponsored five voter registration drives in the Student Center since the fall semester began, but few students have signed up to exercise their right to vote.
In the state of Oklahoma, a person must beat least 18 years old to vote. The registration application is one page long, and it asks the individual to provide basic identification information.
At the voter registration drives on campus, students are offering to help their peers complete those applications. But few NWOSU students have taken that opportunity, according to the organizers of the event.
As of press time, an exact number of registrants was not available, though information from those involved with the drives said the total number was low. At the final drive, which took place Oct. 15, not a single student filled out an application.
Mesa Gam and Brooke Kolanek oversaw the event that day. They said voting is an important right for U.S. citizens – one that should not be taken for granted.
“I feel like voting is important because, if you don’t vote, you are giving more power to those who already have the power,” Gam said. “Being neutral isn’t helping anyone, and you’re just sitting there and not doing what you feel is right.”
Kolanek concurred with Gam’s statement, adding that voters – especially young ones – can positively impact their local, state, and federal governments by exercising their powers at the ballot box.
“It’s kind of like people running for your country in the election, you want to have someone that says what you want,” Kolanek said. “So, I think it’s good for people to vote, because it matters. And you don’t have to let others know, because you’re voting, and no one has to know what you’re voicing.”
Once a voter application is processed, the state will issue a voter identification card to the applicant within 30 days.