Voting polls will be available on St. Edward’s campus this year for eligible students, faculty and staff to vote in this year’s presidential election. For many students, this is the first time they will be able to vote, and St. Edward’s is trying to encourage faculty, staff and students to take part in the political process in many different ways. 

Voting will take place in the Alumni Gym from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 5, with more voter registration booths around campus for students who would still like to register to vote before Oct. 7, which is the voter registration deadline. 

“For students — for some of them — this is the first time they’ve ever voted in a presidential election, so it’s a big deal, and we want to make sure that our students understand the variety of ways they can be a good citizen,”Vice President of Student Affairs and Administration Lisa Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., said. “They can be civically engaged and they can participate in the political process.” 

St. Edward’s has taken other initiatives in order for students to be more involved and educated about the process of registering to vote and being prepared to vote. The website Toppers Vote was created to encourage students to become involved in the political process and feel empowered to be a part of that process.

Last year for early voting, students were provided a shuttle service by the Student Government Association (SGA), Bridge and Feminist Leaders in Practice (FLIP) for students to vote off campus. This year, SGA will provide shuttles again on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for students to access transportation to the South Austin Recreation Center for early voting.   

“It’s a really good idea,” sophomore Lauren Westfall, business management major, said. “I think it’s a great way to get students to actually go out and vote because we don’t have to go off campus. So I think it just makes voting more accessible for the St. Edward’s students.” 

Not only has St. Edward’s created a website for students to learn more about voting, but the Kozmetsky Center has partnered up with the student organization Texas Rising to inform and register students to vote. Interns at the Kozmetsky Center are trained to become certified Volunteer Deputy Registrars, so they can help students on campus register to vote.

“I think that it’s super important that our students and our community prides itself on being leaders and showing their leadership through voting, especially in a presidential election,” SGA President Mikayla Pastrano said. “It’s a very tumultuous election, a lot of things are on the line, and I want students to feel empowered that they can take on their world and take on their voice as a voter.”

In addition to these initiatives, Kirkpatrick and Pastrano teamed up for a video that was uploaded to the SEU Student Involvement Youtube channel, titled “Toppers Vote!” which was emailed to the whole school to help students understand the process of voting, as well as how to actually register and other ways students are able to become a part of the democratic process. There was also an email blast sent to all students from Kirkpatrick that explains to students how to make sure they are registered and if they are not, how to do so. 

Being able to access voting polls on a college campus is exciting for many students and can make people’s lives a lot easier. Accessibility is important when it comes to such an important election since not everyone is in their hometown or even knows how to vote, and St. Edward’s attempt at doing so seems to be working.     

“Last fall I did not vote and it was because I was busy with school, and I can’t make it all the way out to my regular voting place, but this time, it’s gonna make it easier to fulfill my duty, ”sophomore Jimena Martimez Olivares biochemistry major, said.  

Kirkpatrick and Pastrano both left some advice for students in order to feel like they are prepared to vote.

“Make a plan to vote,” Kirkpatrick said. “Plan ahead. Educate yourself about the ballot. It can be overwhelming if you don’t study, but it is worth it.”

Pastrano stressed learning about the candidates and familiarizing yourself with their past actions. 

“It is about educating yourself,” Pastrano said. “It’s so important because politicians oftentimes do talk, they want to get the vote, they want to get the attention grabbing headlines, but one of the things that I would always recommend is take a look at their track record. Education is my top thing for voting.”