The last day for registration is Oct. 9.
By Liandre De la Uso
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Students at this college will be able to register to vote at an event at this college Sept. 25 on National Voter Registration Day.
MOVE Texas, formerly known as Move San Antonio, is planning to register thousands of college students across the state in a single day Sept. 25, National Voter Registration Day.
National Voter Registration Day began in 2012 and is endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State, National Association of Election Officials and National Association of State Election Directors.
“We are planning on registering thousands of students for the single day,” Sean Rivera, organizing manager for MOVE Texas, said. “We are going to be on basically every single college campus in San Antonio.”
Students will need to have a Texas ID or Social Security number to fill out an application.
The location of the MOVE table has not been announced for that day, but there will be volunteers all around campus.
MOVE, standing for Mobilize Organize Vote and Engage, started as a small student organization at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2013. It is funded by monthly donations and contributors.
The organization is split into sections. One focuses on voter engagement and registration, and the other advocates for issues affecting local politics.
Texas historically has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country. The 2016 presidential election saw that of 50 states and the District of Columbia, Texas ranked 47 in voter engagement.
“Millennials alone are larger than the baby boomers, and when you add Gen Z to those numbers, it only gets bigger,” Rivera said. “If we can find a way to mobilize this group, the government will have a more accurate representation of the people.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 27.3 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 24 participated in the 2016 election. Voters 45-64 saw turnout rates of 55.5 percent and senior voters 65 plus 65 percent.
“I think there is definitely a sort of national mentality of voting not being a way of making impactful change,” said Sebastian Waddy, a political science graduate of UTSA.
“I would definitely like to see high schools, colleges and universities encourage more students to take part in democracy,” he said.
Political Science Coordinator Christy Woodward-Kaupert is on the board of directors for MOVE Texas.
“I’m a firm believer that you have to teach people how to vote, not tell them how to vote, because it becomes less intimidating when you show them what a ballot is.”
Waddy has volunteered with MOVE Texas and has done work at this college.
“San Antonio College students are some of the most politically enthusiastic students in the city,” Waddy said. “They’re very open-minded and they are welcoming. It makes it very easy to walk around and register students.”
MOVE Texas has registered 10,000 students across the state, Rivera said.
The registration deadline for midterm elections is Oct. 9.
A race in Texas that is getting national attention is the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke.
Early voting starts Oct. 22. Election Day is Nov. 6. Voting closes 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.
For more information, visit movesanantonio.org.
